Ghanaian soccer player Christian Atsu remains missing after two devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, Hatayspor director Volkan Demirel told Reuters on Wednesday. Atsu, 31, was reported to have been rescued from the rubble with injuries and transported to hospital following Monday’s huge quakes.“There is no information on his whereabouts yet, we don’t know where he is,” Demirel said. “It’s not the case that he was pulled out or taken anywhere else.”The search for Atsu is ongoing, Demirel added. Ghana national team player Atsu had joined Hatayspor in September of last year, after nearly a decade at English clubs Chelsea and Newcastle United.
Atsu was reported missing after team-mates and members of the club's technical staff had reportedly been pulled from the rubble. More than 10,000 people have been killed after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria during the early hours of Monday morning, followed by a second of 7.5.Atsu was part of the Newcastle team which won promotion back to the Premier League in 2017 after joining on loan for the season from Chelsea, and later completed a permanent move. He also had brief spells at Everton and Bournemouth on a temporary basis. Atsu, who scored deep into stoppage time on Sunday to secure a 1-0 win over Kasimpasa, left St James' Park during the summer of 2021 after making 121 appearances for the club.Turkish goalkeeper Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan died following Monday's earthquake in the country.