Christian Atsu’s agent Nana Sechere has stated the whereabouts of the 31-year-old football remain unknown, despite reported confirmation the ex-Chelsea and Newcastle man had been pulled from the rubble alive. Sechere says he received a call from Hatayspor officials on Tuesday morning confirming that Atsu was alive and was being treated in hospital following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that shook parts of Turkey and Syria in the early hours of Monday morning.
But in a fresh update published on Wednesday morning via Sechere’s Twitter account, he has raised further fears for Atsu’s welfare after claiming they are yet to find him in hospital.
The representative posted on social media: “Following yesterday’s update from the club that Christian had been pulled out alive, we are yet to confirm Christian’s whereabouts.
“As you can imagine, this continues to be a devastating time for his family and we are doing everything we can to locate Christian.
“Official updates will be provided when more information comes to light.
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“Please respect the families privacy during this harrowing time and refrain from spreading unsubstantiated news as this will only hamper the search efforts for Christian. Thank you all for your prayers and support.”
Hatay – where Atsu and his team-mates live – is a southern Turkish province on the Mediterranean coast that was at the centre of the disaster.
The former Chelsea, Bournemouth, Everton and Newcastle forward and his colleagues were reportedly playing poker in the early hours of Monday morning shortly before the earthquake struck.
On Sunday, Atsu netted the winner from a free-kick in the 97th minute as Hatayspor battled past Kasimpasa in the Turkish Super Lig.
Since then, numerous members of the squad have taken to social media to raise awareness for the current state of emergence in Hatay, where phone lines are down and buildings have crumbled to the ground.
One of the club’s outfitter’s Onur Akdeniz, tragically lost his life during the disaster as Hatayspor’s players paid tribute to their former colleague with a series of emotional Instagram posts.
Hatayspor club officials confirmed to the media on Tuesday that Atsu had been found but no updates on his condition or health have been shared since.
The Ghana Football Association also released the following statement on Tuesday afternoon: “Update: We’ve received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment. Let’s continue to pray for Christian.”
All Turkish Super Lig fixtures have been cancelled for at least one week.
Turkish second-division side Yeni Matalyaspor have sadly confirmed the death of goalkeeper Ahmet Eyup Türkaslan.
A heartbreaking statement from the club read: “Our goalkeeper, Ahmet Eyup Türkaslan, lost his life after being under the collapse of the earthquake. Rest in peace.
“We will not forget you, beautiful person.”
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