BREAKING: Ex-Chelsea Star Christian Atsu Trapped Under Rubble After Tragic Earthquake In Turkey

Former Chelsea Christian Atsu is reportedly ‘trapped under rubble’ following a devastating earthquake that has left over a thousand dead in Turkey and Syria.

The Ghanaian international plays for Turkish club Hatayspor in the region of Kahramanmaras – one of the areas hit hardest by the quake. Several of Atsu’s teammates were also caught in the disaster, but has since been rescued and moved to safety.

A search-and-rescue operation is currently underway to find the 31-year-old, as well as Hatayspor’s sporting director Taner Savut who is also believed to be buried under the rubble.

Experts say the death toll could rise to 10,000 after two quakes – the first a 7.8 magnitude and the second a 7.5 magnitude – struck in the early hours of Monday morning.

It’s understood that tremors were felt as far away as Egypt and Cyprus, though fatalities are believed to have only occurred in Turkey and Syria.

Atsu netted a 97th-minute winner for his side against Kasimpasa just a few hours before the first earthquake hit, and fans on social media are now praying the winger is found safe and well.

Publications in Turkey are reporting that the top-tier football team Hatayspor have been affected. Atsu, 31, remains under the rubble along with sporting director Savut.

All sporting events in Turkey have been canceled due to the earthquake. Syrian authorities are reporting nearly 400 deaths, while the earthquake could also be felt in Lebanon, Cyprus, and Israel.

It comes the morning after Atsu had scored a stunning late winner in Hatayspor’s 1-0 win over Kasimpasa. The star, who also played in the Premier League on loan at Everton, struck seven minutes into added-time to give his side an important win.

Atsu was a £3.5million signing for Chelsea in the summer of 2013. He failed to play for the Blues after joining from Porto but made 80 Premier League appearances for Newcastle and Everton.

He said of his Chelsea career in 2021: “That [joining Chelsea] was the right decision that I made, if someone tells me this road is wrong, they must know what would have happened if I’d stayed at Porto.