Three people rescued from rubble in Turkey as Christian Atsu’s body found
Ankara, Feb 18 (EFE).- Three people, including a child, were rescued on Saturday from under the rubble of a collapsed building in the southern Turkish city of Antakya, 13 days after massive twin earthquakes struck the region, the state-run Anadolu agency reported.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes on February 6 have caused the deaths of at least 39,772 people in Turkey, interior minister Suleyman Soylu said Friday night.
Ghanaian international footballer Christian Atsu, 31, was among the fatalities, his agent Nana Sechere said on Twitter.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to all well wishers that sadly Christian Atsu’s body was recovered this morning,” he said.
His body was found under a destroyed apartment building in the city of Hatay, in the southern province of the same name.
“My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support,” Sechere added.
The former Porto, Chelsea and Newcastle striker, who had been playing for Turkish side Hatayspor, had been missing since the day the earthquakes struck.
His club initially reported on February 7 that Atsu had been found alive “with injuries”, but a day later it emerged that the player had not been found.
Taner Savut, the sporting director of Hatayspor, was also left under the rubble of the Ronesans residence, where Atsu lived, but is still unaccounted for.
In neighboring Syria, nearly 5,000 people are confirmed to have died. Tens of thousands of people remain missing in both countries.
The earthquakes are the worst disaster to hit the region in over a century. EFE
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