Christian Atsu still missing nine days after earthquake, says agent

Christian Atsu has still not been located nine days after the earthquakes that have devastated parts of Turkey and neighbouring Syria, reports theathletic.com.
Atsu, the former Bournemouth and Newcastle United winger, plays for Hatayspor in Turkey and has been missing since last week. More than 35,000 people are thought to have been killed and thousands of others injured by a huge earthquake registering 7.8 on the Richter scale, which struck south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, early last week.

Despite reports last week that Atsu had been pulled from rubble and taken to hospital, the 31-year-old remains missing. His friend and agent Nana Sechere told The Athletic: “It has been nine days since the earthquake and we still have not located Christian.

“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.” He added: “Yesterday, we received confirmation that thermal imagery was showing signs of up to five lives.

“However, I am told that the only real confirmation of life is through sight, smell and sound, and unfortunately we were not able locate Christian.”

Sechere called for more support in their bid to find Atsu. He said: “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.”