February 14, (THEWILL) – Ghana’s Christian Atsu is still missing, nine days on from the devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria.
Atsu’s current team, Hatayspor, and the Ghana Football Federation, initially claimed that the footballer had been found, but his agent, Nana Sechere, has now confirmed that he is still missing. Sechere explained that they had located Atsu’s room and found two pairs of his shoes, but there had been no real confirmation of life despite thermal imagery indicating that up to five people could be alive in the rubble.
Sechere has urged the club and local authorities to provide more resources, including a translator, to speed up the rescue efforts. However, authorities in Kahramanmaras have suggested that the rescue phase may soon come to a close, with resources being dedicated to helping the survivors.
Atsu played for Hatayspor the day before the earthquake struck, and his agent has provided details of his movements before the disaster. He made 121 appearances for Newcastle United between 2016 and 2021, and also spent a season playing at Bournemouth.
The death toll from the earthquakes in both countries has now surpassed 37,000, with 31,974 deaths in Turkey alone. The situation remains critical, and Atsu’s family and football fans around the world are hoping for his safe return.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
