Hatayspor's Savut found dead after earthquake

The body of Hatayspor sporting director Taner Savut was recovered on Tuesday more than two weeks after two devastating earthquakes struck in Turkey and Syria. More than 47,000 people died in the disaster.

Savut had been missing since Feb. 6. His body was found close to where Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu, of the same club, was discovered dead last week.

“We feel the deep sorrow of losing our Sporting Director Taner Savut,” Turkish side Hatayspor said on Twitter on Tuesday. “We will not forget you teacher Taner. Rest in heaven. You are always in our hearts.”

The Turkish Football Federation and the top teams in the Turkish league, including Galatasaray and Fenerbahce, also issued messages of condolences in Savut’s memory.

Savut was trapped under the rubble of a luxury residential building alongside Atsu when the first earthquake, magnitude 7.8, struck.

Built in 2013, Ronesans Residence, the apartment complex, has since become a symbol of poor construction practices in Turkey, which many people blame for the thousands of deaths in this month’s earthquakes.