Ex-Chelsea Ghanaian player rescued alive from rubble in Turkey

Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu, who has defended Chelsea and Newcastle, was found alive in the rubble after the earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people in Turkey and Syria, confirmed the ambassador of Ghana to Turkey this Tuesday (7) .

Atsu, 31, was hired in September by Hatayspor, from Hatay province (southern Turkey), close to the epicenter of Monday’s earthquake (6).

“I have good news. I have just been informed by the president of the Ghanaian Association that Christian Atsu has been found in Hatay,” ambassador Francisca Ashietey-Odunton told Asaase radio.

The Ghana Football Federation also confirmed that the player was found alive: “Christian Atsu was successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving care,” the organization wrote on Twitter.

The earthquake, followed by powerful aftershocks, left more than 5,000 dead in Turkey and Syria. It also left thousands injured and homeless.

Atsu had been missing since the 7.8 magnitude quake.

Turkish goalkeeper Eyüp Türkaslan, 28, is among those killed in the earthquake. Malatyasport coach Yilmaz Vural confirmed that the player was buried in the building where he lived in the city of Malatya, 1,100 kilometers from the capital Istanbul.

Until this Monday, there was no news about Cape Verdean striker Zé Luís, 32, Portuguese midfielder Bruno Ribeiro, 38, and Turkish midfielder Onur Ergün, 30. Sports director Taner Savut and translator Emre Aslan, others who are also wanted work at Hatayspor.

On Monday, the Itamaraty reported that, until then, there had been no news of Brazilians among the victims. “The Brazilian government follows, with great concern, the news about the devastating earthquake,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a note.

(with Reuters)