Former Chelsea and Newcastle forward Christian Atsu is reportedly "trapped under rubble" following a 7.5 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on Monday. The 31-year-old currently plays for Hatayspor and Turkish journalist Yagız Sabuncuoglu has claimed that he and the club's Sporting Director Taner Savut were left under rubble following the quake.
The 31-year-old did not feature in a competitive outing for the Blues after joining from Porto in 2013. He was sent out on loan on several occasions with stints at fellow Premier League sides Bournemouth and Everton before being signed permanently by Newcastle after a successful loan spell in the 2016/17 season.
Atsu scored eights goals in over 100 games for the Magpies before joining Saudi Arabian outfit Al-Raed in 2021 and then 15 months later signed for Turkish club Hatayspor.
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Worrying news emerged from Turkey earlier today (Monday) that a significant earthquake had hit parts of the country and Syria with several aftershocks soon following. The natural disaster is said to have killed over 2,000 people, according to BBC News.
Chelsea sent their prayers to those affected on social media following the news with a tweet that read: "The thoughts of everyone at Chelsea Football Club are with those affected by the earthquake in Turkey and Syria." Another post then followed that was specifically dedicated to their former player that said: "We're praying for you, Christian Atsu *blue heart emoji*."
Earlier in the day Newcastle since posted their well wishes to Atsu with the Ghana FA also releasing a statement. Their post on Twitter read: "We pray for Ghana International Christian Atsu and victims of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. We continue with our efforts to establish contact with officials of Hataspor and the Turkish Football Federation, considering the difficult situation.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with Christian Atsu and our brothers and sisters in Turkey and Syria. We remain hopeful for positive news."
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