Photo: Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty
Ghanian soccer star Christian Atsu has been found dead under the rubble of his apartment building in southern Turkey after last week’s earthquake. He was 31.
Atsu’s Turkish agent Murat Uzunmehmet confirmed his client’sdeath after the winger had been missingsince theearthquakes hit Turkey and Syriaon Feb. 6.
“Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble,” Uzunmehmet told reporters in the Hatay province, where an apartment building had collapsed, per ESPN. “Currently, more items are still being taken out. His phone was also found.”
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According to ESPN, Hatayspor’s manager said Atsu stayed with his team after scoring the winning goal in a Feb. 5 Super Lig game. He was originally scheduled to fly out of the area hours before the earthquake struck.
Atsu’s clubadditionally tweetedin respect. “We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be upon you, beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness,” the organization wrote.
Atsu represented Ghana in 65 games, helping his team reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final where they lost to Ivory Coast. He was last selected to play for Ghana in 2019.
Newcastle United and Chelsea also paid tribute to their former player.
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Over40,000 people have died in the earthquakethat struck Turkey and Syria, according to NBC News, in what Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has described as “the disaster of the century.”
source: people.com
