Christian Atsu Found Dead 12 Days After Turkey Earthquakes
Soccer player Christian Atsu has been found dead under the rubble of his home in Hatay nearly a fortnight after two earthquakes devastated Turkey.
Atsu's agent Nana Sechere tweeted on Saturday: "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.
"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."
More than 45,000 people have so far been confirmed dead in Turkey and neighboring Syria after quakes measuring 7.8 and 7.5 on the official magnitude scale hit in the early hours of February 6.
It was reported hours after the quakes that Atsu had been found and taken to hospital but this was later proven to be in accurate.
Atsu died at the age of 31.
Including Hatayspor, he played for 10 clubs during his senior soccer career.
Atsu joined Chelsea from Portuguese outfit Porto in 2013 for a transfer fee in the region of £3.5 million.
He spent four years under contract with Chelsea but never played a single game for the club as he was loaned to Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, Bournemouth, Malaga and finally Newcastle.
Newcastle then bought Atsu from Chelsea in 2017.
Including when he was on loan, Atsu featured in 121 matches for Newcastle, scoring eight goals.
Atsu joined Hatayspor in September last year after spending the 2021/22 season in Saudi Arabia with Al-Raed.
The winger, who also had a brief spell at Rio Ave, scored nine goals in 65 games for Ghana at senior international level.
Christian Atsu pictured playing for Ghana in 2015
IMAGO/PanoramiC
