On Monday, many parts of the world awoke to the horrible news that Turkey and Syria had been struck by a series of massive earthquakes, with the first measuring around 7.8 and the second 6.7 on the seismic magnitude scale. As a result, thousands of people been killed, with countless more injured and missing, and the death toll is feared to rise as rescuers struggle to dig as many people out from the rubble as possible.
Several notable people are also feared to be buried under rubble, including striker Christian Atsu. The 31-year-old Ghanaian international was on the books for Chelsea from 2013 to 2017, but never made an appearance for the Blues as he was sent out on numerous loans, including to Everton and Bournemouth, during his four year tenure with the London giants. After that, he was signed by Newcastle United in 2017, with the Magpies opting to give him a four year deal in May after he had completed a one year loan deal from Chelsea with an option to buy.
In September 2022, Atsu moved on to the Turkish Super Lig, with Hatayspor offering him a one year contract with the possibility to extend it for another year.
According to reports from Turkey, Atsu and a club director are among those still unaccounted for following Monday's massive earthquakes, while several other players had already been rescued. As such, everyone close to the player and his family will be hoping for the best outcome as rescue workers battle to ensure that as many people can get out safely as possible.
Atsu's former club Newcastle were among the numerous groups and people to encourage everyone to pray for the footballer, who is a married father of three children:
#PrayForAtsu pic.twitter.com/RqNVdxV54I
— Newcastle Fans TV (@NewcastleFansTV) February 6, 2023
