Turkish footballer Eyup Turkaslan has tragically been declared dead after the earthquake which has devastated his homeland and Syria.
The goalkeeper, who was only 28, was among the many thousands buried under rubble after the natural disaster occurred on Monday morning. The death toll is believed to have risen to nearly 5,000 people after further tremors, including one on Tuesday morning, hit the region.
Turkaslan was trapped in debris after the earthquake and his club, second-tier side Yeni Malatyaspor, posted a message on Instagram which read: "TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE PEOPLE! Our goalkeeper, Ahmet Eyip Turkaslan, is in the building that was damaged and destroyed in the earthquake. Search and rescue efforts continue. As of now, there has been no news from him yet. Do not miss your prayers."
It is believed the footballer's wife was saved from wreckage but there was a heartbreaking update regarding Turkaslan himself on Tuesday afternoon. Yeni Malatyaspor wrote on Twitter: "Our goalkeeper, Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan, lost his life after being under the collapse of the earthquake. Rest in peace. We will not forget you, beautiful person."
Former Crystal Palace and Everton winger Yannick Bolasie, who plies his trade in the Turkish second tier with Caykur Rizespor, posted a tribute which read: "RIP brother Eyup Ahmet Turkaslan. One moment you can see someone in the dugout the next moment there (sic.) gone my condolences to all his family and teammates at Yeni Malatyaspor. Devastating to hear and wish we can all continue to help everyone in need."
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Eyup Turkaslan has tragically been declared dead (Twitter/@YMSkulubu)Turkaslan made two appearances in the Turkish Cup this season and spent two years on Yeni Malatyaspor's books. His is one of the many lives claimed by the earthquake, which struck at 4:17am local time on Monday morning at a depth of roughly 11 miles. Numerous aftershocks added to the havoc and former Chelsea and Newcastle winger Christian Atsu was also among those to be trapped in rubble.
In welcome news on Tuesday morning, it was confirmed the 31-year-old, who plays for Turkish top-flight side Hatayspor, had been pulled from the wreckage and taken to hospital. However, the club's sporting director, Taner Savut, was not retrieved along with the player.
Hatayspor manager Mustafa Ozat said: "Christian Atsu was removed from the wreckage with injuries. Unfortunately, our sporting director Taner Savut is still under the rubble. Hatay was deeply affected. We are coming towards the end of the most dangerous hours."
The Ghana Football Association added in a statement: "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."
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