Confusion over Christian Atsu's whereabouts as football in Turkey postponed

Hatayspor manager: 'There is no news about Atsu and Taner Savut yet'

In this file photo taken on June 26, 2019 Ghana midfielder Christian Atsu chases down the ball during the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations match against Benin and Benin at the Ismailia Stadium. There are conflicting reports as to Atsu's whereabouts following this week's earthquakes in Turkey. AFPShow less

Follow the latest on the earthquake in Turkey and Syria

The whereabouts of former Newcastle United midfielder Christian Atsu remain unknown despite reports he was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building alive following earthquakes in Turkey.

Meanwhile, the Turkish Football Federation has postponed all professional football fixtures in all leagues until at least February 17 as the country deals with the aftermath of the devastating quakes that has so far killed more than 15,000 people.

On Tuesday, Atsu's Super Lig club Hatayspor and the Ghana Football Association claimed the 31-year-old former Ghana international had been found alive and transferred to hospital after being pulled from the rubble of a building.

Hatayspor vice-president Mustafa Ozat on Tuesday told Radyo Gol Atsu "was removed from the wreckage with injuries" but that sporting director Taner Savut "is still under the rubble."

A young girl was rescued by an Emirati team, along with her brother, sister and mother. All photos: Wam

The Emirati search and rescue teams are part of Operation Gallant Knight/2

The family was pulled from the rubble beneath what used to be their house

The rescue operation lasted more than five hours

The Emirati search and rescue teams are assisting in finding people trapped beneath the rubble

The boy rescued along with his two sisters and mother

Search and rescue teams from all over the world have rushed to assist after the earthquake

Since Monday, thousands of buildings have collapsed, many in the middle of the night, leaving people with little chance to escape

As time goes on, the urgency of finding victims trapped under the rubble intensifies

However, an update on Wednesday provided by Hatayspor manager Volkan Demirel and club doctor Gurbey Kahveci said that both Atsu and Savut have yet to be located.

“There is no news about Atsu and Taner Savut yet. Wouldn’t I share this if they were in the hospital? I will share it as soon as the news comes,” Demirel told Spor Arena.

“People are working day and night, I hope both of them will be saved. The whole team took shelter in their families.

“I will share everything as information comes.”

Kahveci is quoted as saying: “When we heard the news that he was taken to Dortyol Hospital we especially went and looked, but he was not there.

“At the moment we accept that Savut Taner and Christian Atsu were not found, unfortunately.”

A 7.8-magnitude earthquake hit Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras on Monday, but was felt as far away as Egypt. Multiple aftershocks caused more destruction.

Atsu’s agent Nana Sechere said unsubstantiated reports about his client were hampering attempts to find him.

“Following yesterday’s [Tuesday's] update from the club that, Christian had been pulled out alive, we are yet to confirm Christian’s whereabouts,” he wrote on Twitter.

“As you can imagine, this continues to be a devastating time for his family and we are doing everything we can to locate Christian.

“Official updates will be provided as more information comes to light. Please respect the families privacy during this harrowing time, and refrain from spreading unsubstantiated news as this will only hamper the search efforts for Christian.

“Thank you for all your prayers and support.”

Monday's Turkish Super Lig games between Umraniyespor vs Adana Demirspor, Giresunspor vs Kayserispor and Fenerbahce vs Konyaspor were cancelled due to the quake will be played at a later date.

As of Thursday morning, Besiktas' match against Antalyaspor on Tuesday, February 14, was still slated to go ahead.

Thousands of buildings have collapsed across Turkey, with more than 15,000 people now confirmed dead in the country. About 3,000 have died in Syria.

Teams worked through Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning across the country, pulling bodies from the rubble of destroyed homes.

About 380,000 people have taken refuge in government shelters or hotels, the authorities said.