Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu has been found dead under the rubble of his home, 12 days after the devastating Turkey earthquake, his agent has confirmed.
The body of the former Chelsea and Newcastle footballer has been pulled from under rubble of the deadly quake that collapsed thousands of buildings and killed over 45,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
Atsu, 31 had been missing following the collapse of his apartment in the city of Hatay when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck on February 6.
His club Hatayspor initially reported he was rescued “with injuries” but a day later that position changed.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to all well wishers that sadly Christian Atsu’s body was recovered this morning,” his agent Nana Sechere tweeted on Saturday.
“My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support.”
It emerged on Friday that Atsu had planned to leave Turkey to visit his family but later cancelled his flight after scoring a last minute goal to push his club to a 1- 0 win over Kasimpasa in the Turkish Super Lig on 5 February, a day before the earthquake.
“Actually, he was going abroad to visit his family. But when he played well and scored, he cancelled his ticket. The earthquake happened on his happiest day,” Hatayspor Administrative Manager Fatih Ilek said.
“He had a flight at 11 pm. Cancelled the ticket. There was an earthquake at 4 am. Absolutely a tragedy.”
Atsu joined the Turkish top-flight side Hatayspor in September 2022.
Ifunanya Ikueze is an Engineer, Safety Professional, Writer, Investor, Entrepreneur and Educator.
