Ex-Newcastle midfielder Christian Atsu ‘rescued from rubble’ after Turkish earthquake – Ghana FA

The 31-year-old Ghana international, now playing his football with Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor, was unaccounted for alongside his club's sporting director Taner Savut in the aftermath of the disaster that has left more than 5,000 people dead.

There were conflicting reports about Atsu's status on Monday evening, but Ghana's national football governing body provided a positive update on social media on yesterday morning.

A Ghana Football Association tweet read: "Update: We've received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment. Let's continue to pray for Christian."

There was no mention of Savut in the post, with Hatayspor also not yet providing any updates via their own social media channels, but the club's vice-president Mustafa Ozat told Radyo Gol: "Christian Atsu was taken out with injuries. Our sporting director, Taner Savut, is unfortunately still under the rubble."

Atsu joined Chelsea from Porto in 2013 on a five-year contract and spent most of the following four years on loan before agreeing a permanent deal with Newcastle in 2017.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit south-eastern Turkey and northern Syria during the early hours of Monday morning, followed by a second measuring 7.5.