Turkey earthquake, Malatyaspor Türkaslan goalkeeper dies

“Our goalkeeper, Ahmet Eyüp Türkaslan, lost his life under the rubble following the earthquake. Rest in peace. We won’t forget you, you were a beautiful person.” With these words Malatyaspor, a club that plays in the Turkish Serie B, made official in a tweet what was feared: the death of the goalkeeper, born in 1994.

In the last few hours, the coach of the team Yàlmaz Vural had also confessed to the media that he was very worried because the player was the only one in the team who had not left the city. Although the latest rumors still gave some hope that the news of his death was not true, official confirmation from the club also arrived.

More fortunate than Türkaslan were his wife and daughter, who had been rescued just the day before. Also found alive under the rubble were 31-year-old Ghanaian midfielder Christian Atsu, currently playing at Hatayspor, as well as the club’s director, Taner Savut, and interpreter Emre Aslan.