The body of Ghanaian soccer player Christian Atsu, found under the rubble of the building where he lived in Hatay, Turkey, will be repatriated to Ghana today, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
“The remains will be accompanied by the family and the Ghanaian ambassador to Turkey, on a flight that will arrive in Accra at 7:40 p.m.,” the ministry official said.
Atsu, 31, was found dead on Saturday under the rubble of the building where he lived in Hatay, southern Turkey, after the February 6 earthquake that also hit Syria.
According to the Turkish media, the player who played for Hatayspor, in which the Portuguese Rúben Ribeiro also plays, was under the rubble of his residence in Ronesans, a 12-story tower that collapsed in the earthquake.
The Ghanaian international striker represented FC Porto between 2009 and 2013, with a loan to Rio Ave in between (2011/12), having later played for Vitesse (Holland), Everton, Bournemouth (both from England), Málaga (Spain ), Newcastle (England), Al Raed (Saudi Arabia) and Hatayspor (Turkey).
Atsu joined Turkish club Hatayspor in September, based in the southern Hatay province, near the epicenter of the violent earthquake that struck Turkey on February 6.
The quake, followed by strong aftershocks, killed more than 40,000 people in Turkey and Syria, according to the latest official reports published on Friday, also leaving thousands injured and homeless from the cold.
Source: TSF
