Christian Atsu, a Ghanaian footballer, is still missing nine days after an earthquake struck and devastated Turkey last week.
Atsu, a former Premier League player for Bournemouth, Chelsea, and Newcastle United, now plays for Turkish club Hatayspor. He hasn’t been seen since last week. More than 35,000 people were killed in a massive earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale. Thousands more have been hurt. Early last week, an earthquake struck south-eastern Turkey near the Syrian border.
Despite reports last week that Atsu had been pulled from the rubble and taken to a hospital, the 31-year-old Ghanaian is still missing. “It has been nine days since the earthquake and we still have not located Christian,” his friend and agent Nana Sechere told The Athletic.
“I’m at the Hatay earthquake site with Christian’s family. The scenes are horrific, and our hearts go out to everyone who has been affected.
“During my time here, we were able to pinpoint Christian Atsu’s exact room location, as well as two pairs of his shoes.”
“Yesterday, we received confirmation that thermal imagery was showing signs of up to five lives,” he added.
“However, I’ve been told that the only true confirmation of life is through sight, smell, and sound, and we were unable to locate Christian.
Sechere requested more help in their search for Atsu. “This is a difficult situation, and we are extremely grateful to all of the Turkish and foreign rescue teams, as well as local civilians and volunteers, for their efforts and response in rescuing survivors,” he said.
“However, we urgently require more resources on the ground, including a translator. Things are moving at a glacial pace, causing many rescues to be delayed and lives to be lost due to a lack of resources available to workers.”
We’ll keep you updated on developments in this worrying story.
»Nine days later, Christian Astu is still missing«