According to his management, local media on Saturday stated that the corpse of former Ghanaian international Christian Atsu had been discovered following a severe earthquake in Turkey.
On February 6, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that shook Turkey and Syria killed more than 43,000 people in both countries, including Atsu, 31. Initial rumours that the former Newcastle and Chelsea footballer had been saved a day after the earthquake proved to be untrue.
His corpse was discovered beneath the debris in the southern Turkish province of Hatay, according to his manager in Turkey, Murat Uzunmehmet, who spoke to DHA news agency on Saturday.
According to a tweet from his team Hatayaspor, his body would be returned to Ghana. “Peace be upon you, lovely one. No words can adequately express our grief, the statement continued.
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Atsu had previously played for Al Raed FC in the Saudi Premier League before joining Hatayspor last year. In addition, he had previously played for a number of English teams, including Chelsea, Everton, Bournemouth, and Newcastle.
Christian Atsu tragically lost his life in Turkey’s devastating earthquakes, Newcastle United, for which he played from 2016 to 2021, making 121 appearances and aiding the club in being promoted to the English Premier League, tweeted: “We are profoundly saddened to learn that Christian Atsu has lost his life.
“Our players, staff, and supporters will always remember him as a wonderful guy and a terrific athlete. Peace be with you, Christian.
Everton expressed its “deep sadness” on Twitter, while Chelsea issued a statement expressing its “heartfelt sympathies to Christian’s family and friends.”
Atsu played 65 times for his nation, assisting the Black Stars in their run to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final. Atsu won the tournament’s player of the tournament award despite Ghana losing that match against the Ivory Coast on penalties.
