The 31-year-old had been missing since the February 6 disaster after a residential building collapsed in Hatay.
Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu, 31, was found dead in southern Turkey under the rubble of the building he was living in after last week’s powerful earthquakes, his Turkish agent and club said on Saturday.
The former Premier League player, who joined Turkish club Hatayspor last year, had been missing since the February 6 earthquakes devastated southern Turkey and north-western Syria.
“Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble,” agent Murat Uzunmehmet told reporters in Hatay.
“More items are currently being removed. His cell phone was also found.”
Search teams found Atsu’s body in the ruins of Ronesan’s Residence, a luxurious 12-story building where he had lived in the city of Antakya, Hatay province.
According to state-run Anadolu News Agency, the builder was arrested at Istanbul Airport last week, apparently trying to leave the country for Montenegro.
The funeral of our soccer player Christian Atsu, who lost his life under the rubble, is on its way to his hometown of Ghana. We will not forget you Atsu. Peace be on you beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness.
REST in PEACE ATSU— Hatayspor (@Hatayspor_FK) February 18, 2023
Atsu was due to fly out of southern Turkey hours before the earthquake hit, but the Hatayspor manager said on Friday the Ghanaian had decided to stay with the club after scoring the winning goal in a Super Lig game on February 5.
Ghana’s Foreign Ministry said it had “received the unfortunate news”.
“Christian Atsu’s older brother and twin sister and an official from the (Ghanaian) embassy were present at the scene when the body was recovered,” the ministry said in a statement.
Atsu joined Hatayspor last September after stints at English Premier League clubs Everton, Chelsea and Newcastle United.
However, initial reports that Atsu was rescued the day after the tremors turned out to be incorrect.
“We will not forget you”
Tributes for Atsu have poured in on social media, including heartfelt messages from his former clubs.
“We won’t forget you, Atsu. Peace be on you beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness,” Hatayspor said on Twitter.
Newcastle described him as “a talented player and a special person, he will always be fondly remembered by our players, staff and supporters”.
Atsu has 65 caps for Ghana and helped them reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final where they lost to Ivory Coast on penalties. He was last selected for Ghana in 2019.
“We would like to express our deepest condolences to his wife and children, family, loved ones and the football community,” the Ghana Football Association said.
Everyone at Chelsea Football Club is devastated to learn of the tragic death of our former player Christian Atsu. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) February 18, 2023
He joined Chelsea from Porto in 2013 and has had several loan spells at clubs including Vitesse and Bournemouth.
“Chelsea extends our heartfelt condolences to Christian’s family and friends and to everyone affected by the earthquake tragedy,” the London club said.
Everton also released a statement on Twitter, saying the club were “deeply saddened” by the news of Atsu’s death.
“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues at Hatayspor and everyone affected by this tragic event that has claimed so many lives,” they said.
More than 45,000 people were killed in the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, and the death toll is expected to continue rising as around 264,000 homes were destroyed in Turkey and many people are still missing.