Quake in Turkey and Syria: buried professional footballer Atsu found

According to a report in the Portuguese sports newspaper “A Bola”, the ex-Ghana striker was found alive on Monday. Accordingly, the 31-year-old from the Turkish first division club Hatayspor is in a hospital with an injury to his right foot and breathing difficulties.

Atsu fired his club to a 1-0 home win over Kasimpasa in the 97th minute the day before the disaster. Hours later, he was buried after an apartment building collapsed in the hard-hit Hatay province. “We hope for positive news,” wrote Ghana’s football association on Twitter. President Nana Akufo-Addo also spoke up: “Our hearts and prayers are with the survivors. And we pray that our Ghanaian compatriot Christian Atsu is found safe and sound.”

Several players and officials freed

A sportswriter, Saddick Adams, tweeted that a teammate had informed Atsu’s management that Atsu had been taken to the hospital. A confirmation from the club was still pending late Monday evening. Hatayspor’s Vice President Mustafa Ozat had previously stated on Turkish TV that club sports director Taner Savut was missing in addition to Atsu. Several players and officials have already been freed from the rubble, and the club is supporting the rescue efforts.

Atsu has played in his career for FC Porto, Everton and Newcastle United, among others, and he completed his last international match in 2019. Atsu has been engaged in Hatay since September. A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the region on Monday. Numerous strong aftershocks followed, and the number of victims rose steadily. As of Monday evening, more than 3,600 deaths – more than 2,300 in Turkey and 1,300 in neighboring Syria – had been confirmed.