The physique of Christian Atsu, an expert soccer participant from Ghana whose profession took him to England’s Premier League and the World Cup, has been recovered from the rubble in southern Turkey almost two weeks after a robust earthquake struck the nation, his membership and his agent mentioned on Saturday. He was 31.
“It’s with the heaviest of hearts that I’ve to announce to all nicely wishers that sadly Christian Atsu’s physique was recovered this morning,” Nana Sechere, Mr. Atsu’s agent, wrote on Twitter on Saturday. “My deepest condolences go to his household and family members.”
Mr. Sechere mentioned Mr. Atsu had been present in Hatay Province in southern Turkey, one of many hardest-hit areas in the earthquake.
Mr. Atsu, who performed for the Turkish membership Hatayspor, had been among the many hundreds of individuals lacking since Feb. 6, when a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria. Simply hours earlier than the quake, he had scored his staff’s profitable purpose in its match towards Kasimpasa, a staff from Istanbul.
His membership additionally confirmed the information and mentioned he was being repatriated to Ghana.
“We is not going to neglect you, Atsu. Peace be upon you, lovely particular person,” Hatayspor mentioned in a statement on Twitter on Saturday.
There had been conflicting accounts of Mr. Atsu’s whereabouts after the earthquake, and earlier statements that he had been rescued had initially raised hopes that he had survived the earthquake.
Mr. Atsu, a member of Ghana’s World Cup staff in 2014, had spent the majority of his profession with European golf equipment, and signed with Porto, Chelsea and Newcastle United. He joined Hatayspor final 12 months.
Condolences poured in on Saturday on social media, together with from Newcastle United, the Premier League and FIFA, soccer’s world governing physique. The Ghana Soccer Affiliation mentioned that weekend games would hold a moment of silence for Mr. Atsu.
“Ghana soccer has misplaced one among its most interesting personnel and ambassadors, one who can be troublesome to interchange,” President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana said on Twitter.
Because the membership desperately looked for Mr. Atsu after the earthquake, Volkan Demirel, Hatayspor’s supervisor, had pleaded for aid.
“I believed the day of judgment had come. I instantly considered my gamers,” Mr. Demirel informed Hurriyet, a Turkish newspaper, in regards to the second the earthquake hit.
“Could God not trigger such ache to anybody,” he added.
Greater than 45,000 folks have died in the earthquake in Turkey and Syria, in keeping with figures from the Turkish authorities and from the United Nations, and the demise toll was anticipated to proceed to rise.
