At 4:17 a.m. on Monday morning, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.8 on the Richter scale occurred in southern Turkey.

Just hours earlier, Christian Atsu had been celebrating after scoring a redeeming 1-0 goal in the 97th minute for his Hayatspor.

Now Yagiz Sabuncuoglu states that Atsu and the sports director Taner Savut are two of those who are stuck in the race masses after this morning's earthquake.

The Premier League club's statement

Newcastle United, currently in fourth place in the Premier League, says it is "praying for positive news".

Emergency services are said to be working full-time to find the missing duo.

So far, at least 1,900 people have reportedly lost their lives and over 5,000 have been injured.

Christian Atsu has made 60 caps for Ghana and has been playing for Hayatspor since last summer.

CUT: Strong earthquake in Turkey

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The first quake had a magnitude of 7.8, and occurred at a depth of 18 kilometers, according to the United States Geological Survey USGS.

Ten minutes later, a strong aftershock with a magnitude of 6.7 followed.

Photo: Elifaysenurbay, TT