Photo: The late Christian Atsu
Breaking: Ghana football star, Christian Atsu, found dead in Turkey earthquake wreckage
Ghana football star, Christian Atsu, who plays for Turkish club side, Hatayspor, has been found dead in the wreckage of the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey’s south-eastern border nearly two weeks ago.
Confirming the sad news on Saturday, the agent of the deceased footballer, Murat Uzun Mehmet, simply said “Christian Atsu has been found dead.
“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.”
Atsu, 31, had scored a spectacular 97th-minute free kick in Hatayspor’s 1-0 win over Kasimpasa in the Turkish Super Lig on 5 February, shortly before the quake struck in the region.
Unconfirmed reports said that Atsu who celebrated his birthday the night before the earthquake occurred, had planned to leave the club and Turkey but changed his mind after netting in that victory.
He was initially declared missing following the earthquake but a conflicting report almost immediately claimed that he had been rescued and was being hospitalized before it was later refuted.
At Chelsea Football Club, London, where he played before, everyone is reportedly devastated to learn of Atsu’s tragic passing.
“Our thoughts go out to his family and friends,” the club wrote in part in a brief statement.
Latest reports say that the Turkey-Syria earthquake has claimed over forty thousand lives across the two countries so far.
