Ankara, Jan 18. – The lifeless body of Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu has been found under the rubble of a residence in the Turkish city of Hatay, one of the most destroyed by the violent earthquakes that hit Turkey and the Syria on the 6th.
This was reported to Turkish media by Atsu’s representative in Turkey, Murat Uzunmehmet, confirming the death of the international player for the Ghana national team and Turkish club Hatayspor, who was missing.
The 31-year-old striker, who also played for Porto, Chelsea and Newcastle, among other clubs, died under the rubble of his home at ‘Residence Ronesans’, where his relatives, who had moved to Turkey, have endured since days.
Hatayspor manager Fatih Ilek said Atsu had planned to leave the club and bought a plane ticket to France on the same day as the earthquake, but backed out of the plan after he scored a last-minute goal against Hatayspor. the trip.
“He had a plane ticket, but he refused to leave because he played well and scored. An earthquake surprised him on his best day,” Ilek said.
Atsu had been missing since the first day of the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes, which claimed at least 45,000 lives in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.
Taner Savut, the sporting director of Hatayspor, was also found under the rubble of the Ronesans residence, where Atsu lived, but nothing is known about him yet.
Experts estimate that there are still tens of thousands of bodies under the collapsed buildings.
The Turkish Football Federation has approved the withdrawal from the leagues of nine teams, including Hatayspor (Super League), which lost players or suffered serious damage during the earthquakes.