Christian Atsu has reportedly passed away at the age of 31 following the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Turkey.
The player’s ‘manager’ tweeted the sad news, as relayed in one NTV report, after the Hatayspor forward had been found under the rubble of his home in the Antakya district.
Christian Atsu bulundu ve maalesef hayatını kaybetti
— Murat Uzunmehmet (@MuratUzunmehmet) February 18, 2023
The claim has since been corroborated by the ex-Premier League man’s agent, Nana Sechere, on Twitter, confirming that his body ‘was recovered this morning’.
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
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
— Nana Sechere (@iAmNana7) February 18, 2023
The former Everton star, who had featured for the Toffees in 2014/15 on loan from Chelsea, had gone missing after both Syria and Turkey were struck by an earthquake apiece, leading to billions of dollars’ worth of damage and a death toll numbering in the thousands.
Most recently featuring in the Super Lig, the Ghanian had played a pivotal role in his outfit’s most recent victory, scoring a 97th-minute winner in his last game on February 5 – a day prior to the earthquake striking.
It’s incredibly sad to hear of the footballer’s passing and we’d wish to pass on our condolences to Atsu’s friends, family and loved ones.
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Terrible terrible shame, he was amongst the earliest survivors to be rescued from the wreckage, and it was assumed he would recover. Very sad & tragic loss