Earlier reports claimed Christian Atsu was rescued with severe injuries
Ghanaian international, Christian Atsu has just been pulled from the wreckage of the devastating earthquake in Southern Turkey.
According to Turkish journalist, Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, Atsu was pulled from the wreckage alive and “is doing okay”.
The 31-year-old, who played for both Chelsea and Newcastle during his time in the Premier League, was caught up in the 7.7 magnitude earthquake which occurred on Monday.
Read more, Death toll from Turkey earthquake rises to nearly 3,000
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Earlier, reports claimed Christian Atsu had been rescued and taken to the hospital with breathing difficulties and an injury to his right foot. However, one of Atsu’s teammates Kerim Alici, posted on his Instagram account denying the winger had been found.
Sabuncuoglu then tweeted that Hatayspor manager Mustafa Özat had confirmed that Atsu and the club’s sporting director Taner Savut were still under the rubble.
Yagiz Sabuncuoglu has now confirmed that Atsu has been rescued and pulled from the rubble.
The death toll from the Turkey earthquake carnage on Monday has risen to nearly 3,000 as rescue teams continue to work early on Tuesday to release people trapped in the rubble of buildings in southern Turkey.
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The magnitude 7.8 quake hit Turkey and neighbouring Syria early on Monday, toppling entire apartment blocks, wrecking hospitals, and leaving thousands more people injured or homeless.
Nearly 8,000 people have been rescued from 4,758 buildings destroyed in the tremors a day earlier, Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said in its latest statement.
Death toll climbs
AFAD head Yunus Sezer said that 2,921 people had died in Turkey as aftershocks continued to shake the region. Another earthquake of 5.6 magnitudes struck central Turkey on Tuesday, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) said.
Reuters reports that freezing winter weather hampered search efforts for survivors through the night. A woman’s voice was heard calling for help under a pile of rubble in the southern province of Hatay. Nearby, the body of a small child lay lifeless.