Despite rumours stating otherwise, Christian Atsu has not yet been located following an earthquake in Turkey, according to Hatayspor’s honorary president.
A fresh update provided by goal.com says Atsu has not yet been pulled from the ruins of an earthquake that occurred in Turkey and Syria as revealed by his club’s president.
In the wake of the earthquake that struck the south of Turkey and the north of Syria, killing more than 2,500 people so far, it was discovered earlier on February 6 that Atsu, a football player for the Turkish team Hatayspor, had vanished in the rubble.
The 31-year-old Atsu was being treated for breathing issues as well as injuries to his right foot in the hospital, according to a later article in The Guardian.
This is in response to an earlier, unrelated story from Turkish journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu who asserted that Hatayspor vice-president Mustafa Ozat stated that Atsu and sporting director Taner Savut were still buried beneath the wreckage and that the club was attempting to contact them.
A new statement from Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Lutfu Savas, honorary president of Hatayspor, confirms: “The search and rescue efforts for Atsu are unfortunately continuing.”
News broke of the earthquake near the border between the two nations in the early hours of February 6 local time, with a powerful tremor hitting further north some 12 hours later. Rescue teams continue to fight through rubble and freezing conditions to find survivors.
Elsewhere, Joy Sports reported the vice president of Hayatspor, Mustapha Ozat, issued a statement to say all staff and players had now been accounted for with the exception of Savut and Atsu.
“[They] are still under the rubble. We are still trying to reach them,” Ozat is quoted as saying.
This contradicts waves of reports from international media, including one from Ghana’s seasoned journalist Saddick Adams claiming the former Ghanaian international has been found.
Source – Tru News Report