Former Ghana International Christian Atsu was rescued from building rubble after a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit southeast Turkey
On Tuesday, former Newcastle, Chelsea, and Ghana International Christian Atsu were confirmed to be safe and in ‘stable condition’.
The previous night, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Southeast Turkey causing havoc in seven Turkish provinces and Northern Syria.
Speaking to CNN, Atsu’s agent Nana Sechere noted that he was ‘stable’ after being rescued from the collapsed building rubble, while the Mirror reported he had survived a ninth-floor fall.
“There were lots of reports out of England and Ghana that Christian was safe, but the first official confirmation I had was on Tuesday morning.
“I was told by the club that he was in the hospital and that he is stable. He doesn’t have his phone and, like all of us, he can’t remember his numbers by heart so I have to continue to wait to speak to him.”
Atsu had scored a last-minute winner for his team Hatayspor in Turkey against Kasimpasa and was out celebrating on Sunday night heading into Monday. His agent said he received a call, at 5 am, from Hatyaspor club officials, saying the building Atsu was in had collapsed following the earthquake and that they had not managed to retrieve him.
“The journey back to his apartment was around half an hour. He returned at 4 a.m. and the earthquake started around 20 minutes later. I didn’t know anything until I received a call from a club official at 5 a.m., asking if I’d heard from Christian. He told me Christian’s building had been completely destroyed and that they couldn’t get hold of him,
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“I was hoping he was awake and that the earthquake hadn’t happened while he was sleeping. He was in an 11-story building and he was on the ninth floor. The club officials were trying to help me find him but it was so hard because, understandably, they were trying to find their own friends and families as well,” Sechere said.
According to CNN, more than 7,000 people have lost life in Turkey and Syria as rescuing continues.
Atsu played 107 games for Newcastle, with short spells at Chelsea, Everton, and Bournemouth.
