Picture Credit: Twitter
The body of former Chelsea winger Christian Atsu has been found in the rubble caused by a recent earthquake in Turkey. Atsu was trapped under the rubble after the tragic earthquake, hence a search-and-rescue operation has been ordered to find the Ghana star.
Atsu was playing for Hatayspor in the Turkish Super League and also scored in the last game before the natural disaster occurred. Several members of Hatayspor had to be rescued by specialists from their homes after the earthquake. The news about Atsu was confirmed by his agent Nana Sechere.
"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," his agent Nana Sechere tweeted on Saturday. "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."
Search and rescue workers found the ex-Newcastle player’s body at his home, Ronesans Residence, a block of high-rise luxury flats which went down in Hatay. Turkish police have arrested the building's contractor at Istanbul airport last week who was leaving for Montenegro, according to a state news agency Anadolu.
More than 1,300 people have passed away in the earthquake, while 6,000 people are injured, as per official reports. The quake was actually a massive aftershock with a magnitude of 7.5 which hit Turkey’s south hours after the original earthquake. Reports say Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan also felt these tremors.
Talking about the footballer, Chelsea signed Atsu as a youngster in 2013 from Porto before sending him on a number of loan spells. In this span, he played for Everton and Bournemouth before making a permanent move to Newcastle United in 2017. Astu never played a Premier League game for Chelsea. The Ghana international then left the Toon after playing over 100 games in 2021 and joined Saudi side Al-Raed. Atsu was then transferred to Turkey in the summer.
