Christian Atsu, 31-year-old Ghana’s international forward who played for Newcastle and Chelsea died in the recent earthquake in Turkey.
Football player, Christian Atsu’s body has been sent back to his native Ghana after he passed away two weeks ago after an earthquake struck Turkey.
Members of Ghana’s armed forces took his coffin away after the flight’s late Sunday arrival in Accra.
Atsu’s body was discovered in southern Turkey, on Saturday under his house. He was a member of the Hatayspor team.
Atsu’s body was recovered by search teams amidst the ruins of a 12-story luxury building
The Ghanaian international forward who played for Premier League Clubs Newcastle and Chelsea lost his life in the recent earthquake. Atsu’s body was recovered by search teams amidst the ruins of a 12-story luxury building in Hatay province’s Antakya according to his manager. “Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble. At the moment, his belongings are still being removed,” stated Murat Uzunmehmet, his manager.
Christian Atsu joined the Turkish club Hatayspor in September 2022. After joining, he scored the winning goal against Kasimpaşa S.K. on Feb. 5 for his new team. The score was made just a few hours before the earthquake struck the city. The club is based in Antakya, one of the hardest-hit cities in the southern part of the country. As of Friday, the recorded death toll from the 7.8 magnitude earthquake crossed the 43,000 mark.
Turkey earthquake: More on the issue
One day after the earthquake, reports revealed Atsu recurred and was on the way to the hospital. Unfortunately, the reports were wrong and the player was still missing. Additionally, the contractor of the building where Atsu and Taner Savut, the club’s sporting director lived was detained one week ago for leaving the country. Later, Nana Sechere, the player’s agent traveled to Turkey to help Fastrack the process. He and Atsu’s family were hoping he was alive amidst the rubble and waiting to be rescued.
According to Hatayspor, Christian Atsu’s body is being repatriated to Ghana. “There are no words to describe our sadness,” tweeted the club. “Ghana football has lost one of its finest personnel and ambassadors, one who will be difficult to replace. He’ll be sorely missed,” tweeted Nana Akufo-Addo. Akufo-Addo, the president of Ghana also shared a picture of Atsu on his official Twitter. Several players and fans took to Twitter to express their sadness.
