Turkey has been devastated after three powerful earthquakes on Monday, killing more than 5,000 people and thousands of others wounded. The country suffered heavy losses after an earthquake of 7.8 magnitudes. Turkish goalkeeper Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan passed away at the age of 28 following the earthquake, the Yeni Malatyaspor announced. Turkaslan played six times for Turkish second-division club Yeni Malatyaspor after joining in 2021.
"Our goalkeeper, Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan, lost his life after being under the collapse of the earthquake. Rest in peace. We will not forget you," the club issued a statement on Twitter.
Former Crystal Palace and Everton winger Yannick Bolasie shared a heartfelt message on Twitter. Bolasie currently plays for Turkish second-tier side Caykur Rizespor.
"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 teammates at Yeni Malatyaspor. Devastating to hear and wish we can all continue to help everyone in need," Bolasie tweeted.
More than 9500 people have died in a powerful earthquake of magnitude 7.8 in Turkey and neighboring Syria. While thousands of people have been injured, many buildings in the country have been heavily damaged by this earthquake. It is being speculated that the death toll may increase further. Because rescue workers are still searching for people trapped in the debris in the affected areas.
Footballer from Ghana, Christian Atsu went missing after the earthquake but was later pulled alive from the rubble of buildings and is badly injured. His Turkish club informed this on Tuesday.
Turkey and Syria fall in the seismic active Anatolian Plate which borders two major fault lines. The intensity of earthquakes is categorised into 5 seismic zones namely: Zone 1, Zone 2, Zone 3, Zone 4, and Zone 5, while the last one being the most dangerous.
