Czech Republic international Josef Šural has been killed after a minibus carrying seven players from Turkish football team Aytemiz Alanyaspor crashed while returning from an away match.
Former Cardiff City, Swansea and Liverpool defender Steven Caulker was one of six other players taken to hospital after the accident at 2.30am this morning, as was ex-Newcastle United player Papiss Cisse.
Šural, who has played 20 times for his country, was operated on in hospital but could not be saved, the Mirror reports.
Caulker joined the club in January after a spell with Dundee.
The VIP minibus, rented by the seven players, departed from Kayseri after a match on Sunday and went off the road approximately 5km from the Mediterranean city Alanya.
The bus had two drivers and both fell asleep, according to Alanyaspor's chairman Hasan Çavuşoğlu, quoting police sources in reports in Turkey.
Cavusoglu reportedly told Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency: "According to information I received from our police chief, despite there being two drivers on the vehicle, they were both asleep. The crash happened as a result of them both being asleep."
He said the other six players injured in the crash were not in critical condition.
Speaking on TV channel TRT Spor, Sural's team-mate Haydar Yilmaz said: "It's like a joke, I still can't believe it.
"I wish there was something we could do. I don't know what to do. The situation of our wounded friends is good, but they are psychologically very bad."
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Šural, a father of two, moved to Turkey from his homeland in January, signing from Sparta Prague for a nominal fee.
He had also previously played for both Slovan Liberec and FC Brno.
Turkey's Football federation (TFF) released a statement on Monday morning declaring: "We have learned with great sadness that Josef Sural, who was seriously injured as a result of an accident in a private minibus carrying Aytemiz Alanyasporlu football players, died in the hospital where he was treated, and six players were injured.
"We would like to express our deepest condolences and appreciation to all lovers of the Alanyaspor community."
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