Christian Atsu still missing nine days after Turkey earthquake, agent confirms
Ghana winger Christian Atsu remains missing nine days after the earthquake in Turkey, according to his agent Nana Sechere.
In a series of tweets, the manager described the situation as “extremely difficult” and appealed to authorities for more urgent resources, including a translator, to aid in the search.
Atsu’s room has been located, and two pairs of his shoes have been found, but he has not yet been located.
“It has been 9 days since the earthquake and we still have not located Christian,” Sechere tweeted.
“I am at the quake site in Hatay with Christian’s family. The scenes are unimaginable and our hearts are broken for all the people affected.”
“During my time here we have been able to locate Christian Atsu’s exact room location, and we have found two pairs of his shoes.”
“Yesterday we received confirmation that thermal imagery was showing signs of up to 5 lives, however, I am told that the only real confirmation of life is through sight, smell and sound, and unfortunately, we were not able to locate Christian.”
“This is a difficult situation and we are extremely grateful to all the Turkish and foreign rescue teams, local civilians and volunteers for their efforts and response in rescuing survivors.”
“However, we urgently need more resources, including a translator, on the ground. Things are moving incredibly slow and as a result of that many rescues are being delayed, and lives are being lost due to the lack of resources available to the workers.”
“It is unfortunate that the club is not on the ground with us, side by side, in the search for Christian. Their position and influence, accompanied with their local knowledge would be extremely helpful. We implore the President of the club and mayor of Hatay, Lütfü Savaş to provide additional resources to speed up the rescue efforts as a priority.”
In September, Christian Atsu joined Turkish club Hatayspor, and had just scored his first goal for the team before a devastating earthquake struck, claiming over 20,000 lives.