Turkish goalkeeper dies following catastrophic earthquake, club confirms

Turkish second-division club Yeni Malatyaspor have confirmed that their goalkeeper, Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan, has died following the earthquake that has left the country distraught.

More than 5,000 people have lost their lives as a result of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake, including 28-year-old Turkaslan, who was the victim of one of many collapsed buildings in Turkey, the team confirmed in an official statement.

"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," Yeni Malatyaspor, who play in Turkey's second-tier league, wrote on Twitter.

Turkaslan, who joined Yeni Malatyaspor in 2021, made six appearances for the Turkish club.

Former Crystal Palace and Everton winger Yannick Bolasie, who currently plays for Turkish second-tier side Caykur Rizespor, said on Twitter: "RIP brother Eyup Ahmet Turkaslan. One moment you can see someone in the dugout, the next moment they're gone. My condolences to all his family and team-mates at Yeni Malatyaspor. Devastating to hear and wish we can all continue to help everyone in need."

The catastrophic earthquake struck Turkey and Syria in the early hours of Monday, causing devastation among many communities. It's also affected the sporting world, with the former Premier League star Christian Atsu injured following the disaster.

The former Chelsea and Newcastle winger, who plies his trade at Super Lig side Hatayspor, was missing having been caught up in Kahramanmaras, where Hatayspor are based, along with club sporting director Taner Savut.

Hatayspor vice president Mustafa Ozat confirmed that Atsu is out of the rubble but injured, while the search for Savut continues.

"Christian Atsu was taken out with injuries. Our sporting director, Taner Savut, is unfortunately still under the rubble. Hatay was deeply affected. We are coming towards the end of the most dangerous hours," Ozat said in an interview.

It was also revealed that two more players from Hatayspor – Burak Oksuz and Bertug Yildirim – have also been saved from the rubble. And two members of the technical team – Ekrem Eksioglu and Osman Ates – also survived the wreckage with their health believed to be good.

Atsu's teammates Onur Ergun and Burak Oksuz were found alive by rescue teams on Monday and Portuguese Hatayspor players Ruben Ribeiro and Cape Verdean Ze Luis are also safe. Hatayspor's brave defender Kerim Alici managed to get out of the rubble himself.