Second-tier Turkish club Yeni Malatyaspor have confirmed that their goalkeeper Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan has died in the earthquake.
It must be noted that the most powerful earthquake in nearly a century struck Turkey and Syria Monday, levelling buildings and causing tremors felt as far away as Greenland.
"Our goalkeeper, Ahmet Eyup Turkaslan, lost his life after being under the collapse of the earthquake. Rest in peace," the club said on Twitter.
"We will not forget you, beautiful person," it added.
The club had earlier stated that Turkaslan was trapped in a building that was damaged during the earthquake.
Turkaslan, 28, represented Turkish second division club Yeni Malatyaspor six times after joining in 2021.
He is survived by his wife, Kubra Turkaslan, who managed to escape the rubble.
Footballer Yannick Bolasie, who currently plays for Turkish second tier side Caykur Rizespor, was devasted to hear about the death of Turkaslan.
"RIP [Rest in Peace] brother Eyup Ahmet Turkaslan. One moment you can see someone in the dugout, the next moment they're gone,” he tweeted.
"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 added.
Meanwhile, Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu was rescued from the rubble, Ghana´s Football Association confirmed on Tuesday.
Former Newcastle midfielder Atsu, 31, joined Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor in September. The club is based in the southern province of Hatay, which is near the epicentre of the massive quake.
"Good news! We´ve received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment," Ghana´s football body said on Twitter.
"Let´s continue to pray for Christian," it added.
All professional football matches in Turkey have been postponed indefinitely after the earthquake.
The 7.8-magnitude tremor and its aftershocks killed more than 15,000 people in southeastern Turkey and parts of Syria.
The Turkey-Syria border is one of the world´s most active earthquake zones.
Monday´s quake was the largest Turkey has seen since 1939, when 33,000 people died in eastern Erzincan province.
In 1999, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake killed more than 17,000.