A former Premier League footballer has ‘still not been found’ despite claims he was pulled alive from the earthquake wreckage.
Christian Atsu, 31, who plays for Turkish side Hatayspor, was in his ninth-floor apartment when two devastating earthquakes struck, killing at least 11,000 people across the country and Syria.
There was a flicker of hope when the ex-Newcastle star’s agent, Nana Sechere, claimed Atsu had been rescued from the rubble.
But Hatayspor’s club doctor, Gurbey Kahveci, has now said: ‘When we heard the news that “he was taken to Dortyol Hospital”, we especially went and looked, but he was not there.’
An official from Hatayspor confirmed they believe Atsu has not been found.
‘At the moment, we accept that [the sporting director] Savut Taner and Christian Atsu were not found [on Monday night], unfortunately,’ they said.
The Ghanaian footballer played for several Premier League clubs before moving to Turkey in September last year.
He was out celebrating after scoring in the final minute of Hatayspor’s match against Kasimpasa, and returned home when the earthquake struck.
Atsu’s agent, who is in London, told the Mirror yesterday: ‘The last I heard from him was at midnight on Sunday. Christian and his team-mates were playing poker until 3.30am at a friend’s apartment, but he returned to his flat at 4.00am.
‘I didn’t know anything until I received a call from a club official at 5am asking if I’d heard from Christian. He told me Christian’s building had been completely destroyed and that they couldn’t get hold of him.
‘I was hoping he was awake and that the earthquake hadn’t happened while he was sleeping. He was in an 11-storey building and he was on the ninth floor. The club officials were trying to help me find him but it was so hard because, understandably, they were trying to find their own friends and families as well.’
Sechere then claimed Atsu was in hospital in a stable condition, but the two are yet to speak.
He said: ‘There were lots of reports out of England and Ghana that Christian was safe but the first official confirmation I had was from the club at 6.00am on Tuesday morning.
‘They told me that he was in hospital and that he is stable. He doesn’t have his phone and, like all of us, he can’t remember his number by heart, so I have to continue to wait to speak to him.’
Hatayspor are based in the southern city of Antakya, near the earthquake’s epicentre.
Former Ghanaian president John Mahama tweeted: ‘Let’s continue to pray for our brother, Christian Atsu, and his club director. Let’s continue to pray that God spares their lives.’
Atsu featured prominently in the Newcastle squad when they won promotion back to the Premier League in 2017.
He previously joined Chelsea in 2013 but never played competitively for the club as he was loaned out to other teams.
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