Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD: Ghanaian football star Christian Atsu was found dead on Saturday after going missing in the significant twin earthquakes in Turkiye, his agent and club confirmed.
Taking to his Twitter handle on Saturday, he said,
“Lifeless body of Atsu was found under the rubble,” Murat Uzunmehmet, Atsu’s Turkish agent, informed media in the southern province of Hatay, one of the Turkish cities hard hit by the twin jolts few days back.
He added that other items were also found along with his phone.
Noting that Atsu died under the rubble, his club Atakas Hatayspor said the player’s body was transferred to his native town in Ghana. “We will not forget you, Christian Atsu. Peace be upon you, beautiful human being. There are no words to describe our sadness. REST in PEACE ATSU.”
Christian Atsu, who last played for Hatayspor club of Turkiye, had been missing since the strong earthquakes hit southern parts of Turkiye on February 6.
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) also expressed its condolences on Twitter to Atsu’s family and friends, saying that it was saddened to learn of his tragic death in the disaster.
Several other Turkish Super Lig clubs, including Besiktas, Fenerbahce, Trabzonspor, and Galatasaray, also shared their condolences on social media.
Ghanaian footballer player Christian Atsu
The Ghana star joined Hatayspor last year, and had previously played for many European teams, including Everton, Chelsea, and Newcastle United in the English Premier League and Portuguese club Porto.
He was also a member of Porto’s 2013 Portuguese championship squad.
Atsu also scored ten goals in 60 encounters for Ghana.
According to official figures, about 39,000 people have been killed by the two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Turkiye.
The 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude quakes occurred in Kahramanmaras province and hit 10 other provinces comprising Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Hatay, Malatya, Kilis, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Elazig and Sanliurfa. More than 13 million people were affected by the devastating jolts.
