Taner Savut, Sporting Director of Hatayspor, was found dead on Tuesday after two devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria, resulting in the deaths of over 47,000 people. His body was located close to that of Christian Atsu, a Ghanaian footballer from the same club, who was discovered dead last week.
Hatayspor expressed their deep sorrow for the loss of their Sporting Director on Twitter, and the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) and the top teams in the Turkish league, including Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, also sent messages of condolences.
Savut was trapped under the rubble of the Ronesans Residence, a luxury residential building, when the first earthquake of magnitude 7.8 hit. This building, built in 2013, has become a symbol of the poor construction practices in Turkey which many believe are responsible for the thousands of deaths in this month’s earthquakes.