Ghana winger Atsu's body found under debris from Turkey quake

2023-02-19 12:37

Ghana winger Atsu's body found under debris from Turkey quake


Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu was found dead under the building where he lived in southern Turkey following last week's massive earthquake, his Turkish agent said on Saturday.


Atsu has been missing since the February 6 earthquake that followed the collapse of an apartment building in Hatay. He is 31 years old.

" Atsu 's body was found under the rubble , " Murat Usunmet told reporters in Hatay. " More items are still being retrieved and his mobile phone was also found. "

Atsu had been scheduled to fly out of southern Turkey hours before the quake, but the Hattasburg manager said on Friday that the Ghanaian had opted to stay at the club after scoring the winning goal in their Super Lig tie on February 5 .

Ghana's foreign ministry said Aso's brother and twin sister were at the scene when his body was found. The embassy is making arrangements to transport the remains to Ghana for burial.

" The government extends its deepest condolences to Christian Atsu 's widow and family , " the ministry said in a statement .

Atsu joined Hatay Sports in September last year after spells at Premier League clubs Everton, Chelsea and Newcastle United .

Ghana winger Atsu's body found under debris from Turkey quake

condolences atsu

" We will not forget you, Atsu . May you rest in peace, beautiful person. No words can describe our sadness, " Hattasburg tweeted.

Newcastle also paid tribute, saying: " A talented player and a special person who will always be missed by our players, staff and supporters. "

Former Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez has described Atsu as " someone special " .

" He's a good lad, always smiling and I really feel for him and everyone who knew him, " he told Sky Sports.

Atsu made 65 appearances for Ghana , helping them reach the final of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations, where they lost to Ivory Coast on penalties. He was last selected to play for Ghana in 2019 .

He joined Chelsea from Porto in 2013 and has had numerous loan spells at clubs including Vitesse and Bournemouth.

" Chelsea expresses its heartfelt condolences to Christian's family and friends and to all those affected by the earthquake tragedy, " the London club said.

More than 45,000 people were killed in the quake that struck Turkey and Syria, with the toll expected to rise further, with some 264,000 apartments destroyed in Turkey and many still missing in the country's worst modern disaster.