Former Liverpool defender Steven Caulker was involved in a car accident that claimed the life of a team-mate in Turkey in the early hours of Monday morning.
Ex-Reds centre-back Caulker, who now plays for Aytemiz Alanyaspor , was part of a seven-man group who were travelling back from Kayseri on Sunday night after a 1-1 draw with Kayserispor when the vehicle reportedly went off road.
The accident killed Caulker's colleague Josef Sural, a Czech Republic international striker who passed away in hospital after suffering a fatal head injury.
It's believed the mini-bus careered off road approximately 5kilometers from the city Alanya at around 2:30am Turkish time.
Alanyaspor's chairman Hasan Cavusoglu said the accident occurred after the two drivers of the Mercedes fell asleep at the wheel.
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"According to information I received from our police chief, despite there being two drivers on the vehicle, they were both asleep," Cavuşoglu said, according to Anadolu.
"The crash happened as a result of them both being asleep.”
The Mirror report that Caulker has been described as "safe, but badly shaken up" with former Newcastle striker Papiss Cisse also involved in the collision.
The centre-back was brought in on loan by manager Jurgen Klopp from Queens Park Rangers in January 2016, but only turned out a handful of times before the deal was cut short at Anfield.
Caulker made four appearances in total for Liverpool with his only start coming in a goalless draw with West Ham United in the FA Cup.
Sural, who was capped 20 times for the Czech Republic, was rushed to a nearby hospital following the incident but could not be saved by medical staff.
"The Football Association of the Czech Republic has accepted with great grief the news that the representative striker Josef Sural died tragically in Turkey," read a statement on Twitter.
"We'll never forget you, Pepo!"
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