The body of Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu was found in the rubble of the building where he lived in southern Turkey, more than a week after the earthquake that shook the region, announced the player’s agent.
“Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble,” Murat Uzunmehmet told reporters in Hatay, where the athlete lived.
Atsu had a flight scheduled out of Hatay the day before the earthquake, but the coach of the Hatayspor said the player opted to stay after scoring the winning goal in a game on the Sunday before the earthquake.
In the first days after the earthquake, it was reported that the rescue teams had found and rescued Christian Atsu alive, information advanced by the vice president of the Hatayspor club, confirmed to CNN by the player’s agent and shared by the Football Association of Ghana on Twitter.
Atsu represented FC Porto between 2009 and 2013, having been loaned to Rio Ave in the 2011-12 season. After spells in England, Spain, the Netherlands and Saudi Arabia, he arrived in Turkey this season.