News Brief: Body of footballer Christian Atsu found in rubble of his home in Turkey
Sat 18 Feb 2pm • Ghanaian footballer and former Premier League star, Christian Atsu, has been found dead in the rubble of his home after Turkey’s devastating earthquake.
Christian Atsu: Agent says footballer still not located after Turkey earthquake
Footballer Christian Atsu is still missing after the Turkey earthquake on 6 February, his agent has said.
Ghana international Atsu has not been seen since the quake that caused the collapse of the apartment in the city of Hatay in which he was staying.
His club Hatayspor initially reported he was rescued “with injuries” but a day later that position changed.
Nana Sechere, who is in Hatay, said they located Atsu’s “exact room location” and found pairs of his shoes.
The agent also said that thermal imaging cameras had shown signs of “up to five lives” beneath the rubble, but that it had not been possible to confirm those signs.
He added that “things are moving incredibly slow” and they “urgently need more resources, including a translator”, adding that as a result “any rescues are being delayed, and lives are being lost.”
And said it was “unfortunate” that Atsu’s Turkish club was “not on the ground with us, side by side, in the search for Christian”.
“Their position and influence, accompanied with their local knowledge, would be extremely helpful,” he added.
Last week Atsu’s partner Claire Rupio called for equipment to be sent to the collapsed building where he was living.
“It has been nine days since the earthquake and we still have not located Christian,” Sechere tweeted on Tuesday.
“I am at the quake site in Hatay with Christian’s family. The scenes are unimaginable and our hearts are broken for all the people affected.”
Atsu was staying in a building with a number of Hatayspor team-mates and officials. The club’s sporting director Taner Savut is also missing.
Some survivors are still being rescued after the quakes and aftershocks in southern Turkey and northern Syria that are known to have killed more than 40,000 people.
