After the Turkey earthquake, Christian Atsu was discovered dead
Nearly two weeks after the Turkey earthquake, football player Christian Atsu’s body was discovered beneath the debris of his home, according to his agency.
The 31-year-old Ghanaian international had time with Premier League clubs Everton, Chelsea, and Newcastle.
Since the earthquake that destroyed his dwelling in Antakya, Hatay, on February 6th, Atsu has been reported missing.
His Turkish top-flight team, Hatayspor, stated, “There aren’t any words to adequately express our sorrow.” Hatayspor first stated Atsu had been evacuated “with injuries” following the earthquake, but a day later that statement was corrected.
It is with the deepest sadness that I must inform all of Christian Atsu’s well-wishers that, regrettably, his body was retrieved this morning, as stated by his agent Nana Sechere, who has been in Hatay.
“I send his loved ones and family my sincere sympathies.” I’d like to take this chance to thank everybody for their prayers and encouragement.
After spending a season with the Saudi Arabian team Al-Raed, Atsu joined Hatayspor in September 2022. On February 5, he managed to score the game-winning goal in a Super League match.
He played for Ghana on 65 occasions and led his team to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final, where they were defeated by Ivory Coast on penalties. Later, Atsu was selected as the contest’s player of the year.
He moved from Porto to Chelsea in 2013 and spent time on loan at several organisations, including Everton and Bournemouth.
He was retained in 2017 after initially spending the 2016 season on loan with Newcastle, where he helped the team earn promotion from the Premier League.
Newcastle tweeted, “We are deeply saddened to discover that Christian Atsu sadly lost his life in Turkey’s horrific earthquakes.”
“Our teammates, staff, and followers will always remember him as a terrific player and a special person.” Everton expressed their “great sadness” over the news, while Chelsea expressed their “devastation.”
There are estimates that over 40,000 people were killed by the earthquake and its aftershocks across southern Turkey and northern Syria.
