Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu has been pulled from the rubble of a building in Hatay with injuries, his manager Mustafa Özat has told Turkish radio.

The Hatayspor player, whose career has included 107 appearances for Newcastle as well as spells at Chelsea, Everton and Bournemouth, was trapped after the earthquakes that killed at least 4,800 people in Turkey and Syria on February 6.

Hatay was one of the areas closest to the epicentre of the quake, and has suffered extensive damage. The club&039;s sporting director Taner Savut remains in the collapsed building,

"Christian Atsu was removed from the wreckage with injuries," Özat told Turkish radio channel Radyo Gol.

"Unfortunately, our sporting director Taner Savut is still under the rubble."

Özat added: "Hatay was deeply affected. We are coming towards the end of the most dangerous hours."

A major earthquake of magnitude 7.8 and its powerful aftershocks have killed over 4,800 by press time and injured thousands as buildings collapsed across the region, triggering searches for survivors in the rubble.

The initial earthquake hit near the Turkish city of Gaziantep at 4:17 am local time (01:17 GMT) on Monday, as people were sleeping, at a depth of about 17.9km (11 miles). It was also felt as far as Cyprus, Egypt, and Lebanon. It was later followed by another heavier one.

Meanwhile, President Paul Kagame on Monday sent his condolences to the people of Turkey and Syria following huge earthquakes.