Following last week’s significant earthquake, Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu’s body was discovered underneath the residence where he resided in southern Turkey, according to his Turkish agent.
As an apartment building in Hatay collapsed following the earthquake on February 6, Atsu had been reported missing ever since. He was 31.
“Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble,” Murat Uzunmehmet told reporters in Hatay. “Currently, more items are still being taken out. His phone was also found.”
Atsu had been scheduled to fly out of southern Turkey hours before the quake but Hatayspor’s manager said on Friday the Ghanaian had opted to stay with the club after scoring the winning goal in a Feb. 5 Super Lig match.
The Ghanaian foreign ministry said Atsu’s elder brother and twin sister were at the site when his body was recovered. The embassy is arranging for the body to be transported to Ghana for burial.
The earthquake and aftershocks in southern Turkey and northern Syria are known to have killed more than 40,000 people.
