The tragedy that hits Turkey and Syria as a result of the earthquakes produced in the last hours is no stranger to sport.
During this Monday, the
desperate search for different athletes
kept Federations and clubs in that region in suspense, including the Ghanaian footballer
Christian Atsu
, who played for Chelsea in England and Málaga in Spain, and on Sunday had converted the goal with which his
Hatayspor
team won on the hour.
Atsu, like sports director
Taner Savut
, were trapped when the building in which the squad was housed collapsed after the match.
On the other hand, the one who was able to get out of the rubble by his own means was Kerim Alici, while fellow players Burak Oksuz and Onur Ergun were rescued, as well as the translator Emre Aslan.
Volkan Demirel
, former Turkish National Team goalkeeper and current Hatayspor coach, launched a dramatic plea for help to find his footballers who have not yet been found after the earthquake.
The prayers were also joined by Málaga from Spain, a club for which Atsu also played.
"Our thoughts are with him and his family at this time of terrible anguish," he wrote.
A similar situation was suffered by the goalkeeper
Eyüp Türkaslan
, from Matalyaspor of the Turkish Second Division, who was being searched for among the rubble.
Local media reported that his wife was rescued alive, but they say they have not heard from the player yet.
There was even speculation about his death, something that was denied by the club president Haci Ahmet Yaman.
“The news that Ahmet Eyüp Türkaslan died does not reflect the truth.
Another earthquake occurred while the rescue forces were in progress.
Therefore, the teams withdrew.
I hope we get good news soon, ”he explained.
The 28-year-old footballer was in the city of Malatya, in the southeast of the country, when the seismic movement centered on Kahramanmaraş hit the population.
Yılmaz Vural
, the team's coach, expressed his anguish: "I gave the team two days off after the Rize match (loss against Rizespor on Saturday, editor's note), he confided. Most of the players were not in Malatya. Only ours second goalkeeper Ahmet Eyüp Türkaslan was there. They saved his wife. I'm devastated."
desperate search
Photo: REUTERS
Dozens of Turkish athletes from disciplines such as football, volleyball, handball or wrestling were buried under the rubble of homes and hotels after the collapses caused by the 7.7 magnitude earthquake that has already left almost 1,800 dead.
The fate of most of the players on the men's volleyball team from this eastern Anatolian city, which plays in the Turkish Second Division, is also unknown.
The players were
buried in the rubble of the Kircuval hotel
, where they were staying.
Three members of the team have been rescued.
In the same situation are fourteen players from Hatay, a women's volleyball team from the city of the same name that is the capital of the province in the extreme south of Turkey, and the footballers of Marasspor from the Turkish Second Division.
Turkish coach and Olympic wrestling medalist Taha Akgul has written on Twitter that between thirty and forty athletes from the wrestling team from the city of Kahramanmaras - capital of the province of the same name in southeastern Anatolia - are trapped under rubble and need help. urgent.
The tragedy has also affected handball.
Turkish handball international Cemal Kutahya and Hatayspor coach Savas Yuksel are also under the ruins of one of the collapsed buildings in Hatay, according to a statement from the Turkish Handball Federation.
Rescue teams try to save them.
The epicenter of the powerful earthquake was found in Pazarcik in the province of Kahramanmaras, according to the Turkish emergency service Afad, although the Kandilli seismic observatory locates it in Sofalici, in the neighboring province of Gaziantep, about 40 kilometers further south.
competitions suspended
The Turkish Government announced on Monday the
suspension of all sports competitions
after the earthquake that caused more than 1,000 deaths in Turkey, a
tragic balance that includes numerous professional athletes and continues to grow
.
"All national sports competitions scheduled in our country have been suspended until further notice," Turkey's Minister of Youth and Sports,
Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoglu
, announced on his Twitter account.
The minister also sent his solidarity to the whole country in the aftermath of the earthquake, which struck in the early hours of the morning and caused massive landslides in an area of hundreds of kilometers stretching from northern Syria to southeastern Turkey.
According to Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan
, this is the worst earthquake the country has suffered since 1939. Some 45 countries have offered help to expedite rescue efforts and save as many people as possible among those still trapped under the rubble.
look also
Earthquake in Turkey and Syria, LIVE: there are already more than 2,000 dead and thousands injured and missing
Earthquake in Turkey: the second strongest in 100 years, and one of the most extensive
Earthquake in Turkey: seven keys to understanding the severity and intensity of these phenomena
Earthquake in Turkey and Syria: the most shocking videos and images of the devastating earthquake
