The wife of Hatayspor manager Volkan Demirel has shared a tearful message after Turkish goalkeeper Eyup Turkaslan was reportedly among those trapped under rubble following an earthquake that has rocked Turkey and Syria.
More than 3,400 people have lost their lives in the disaster, with a further 6,000 injured, according to officials. A massive aftershock with a magnitude of 7.5 hit Turkey’s south hours after the original quake. Reports say it was felt once again in Syria and also Iraqi Kurdistan.
Two hospitals have reportedly collapsed in the Hatay province, which sits south of Kahramanmaras. Meanwhile, Yeni Malatyaspor, where Turkaslan plays his football, have shared a photo of the goalkeeper with the caption 'Our prayers are with you'.
“Hatay is in a very bad way,” Zeynep Sever Demirel said in a video shared on social media. A number of her friends were believed to still be trapped under rubble, with fears that more footballers could also be affected by the disaster.
Yeni Malatyaspor shared an earlier message before their show of support to Turkaslan. "We wish God's mercy on our citizens who lost their lives in the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and felt in our city, and we wish a quick recovery to our injured citizens," it read.
According to Haber Global, footballers from the Marasspor team may have been staying in a hotel destroyed in the aftermath of the quake. A men's volleyball team and a girls' under-14 volleyball team were also reportedly affected, with some survivors being pulled from the rubble.
A number of wrestlers are also believed to be trapped, according to Birgun. Taha Akgul, an Olympic champion wrestler from Turkey, has called for help amid suggestions between 30 and 40 of the athletes have been affected.
"I convey my best wishes to all our citizens who were affected by the earthquake that occurred in Kahramanmaraş and was felt in many parts of our country," Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a statement. "All our relevant units are on alert under the coordination of AFAD (the disaster and emergency management presidency).
"Our search and rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the areas affected by the earthquake. Our Ministry of Interior and Health, AFAD, Governorships and all other institutions started their work rapidly.
"We also coordinate the works initiated after the earthquake. We hope that we will get through this disaster together as soon as possible and with the least damage, and we continue our work."
