By Amaechi Agbo

Former Chelsea and Newcastle United forward Christian Atsu has been found dead after he went missing for days after the earthquakes in Turkey.

Atsu who played for Hatayspor of Turkey and scored the only goal on Sunday 5th, as they defeated Kasımpaşa in the Turkish Super League, went missing following Monday, 6th February 7.8 magnitude earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria

His tragic death, confirmed by his agent Nana Sechere Saturday morning, was devastating particularly following earlier report that he had been “found”. He was one of the star players from the Chelsea academy before heading to Turkey.

The 31-year-old was residing in an apartment in the Hatay city which suffered huge damages during the quake.

On Tuesday 6th, His club Hatayspor initially reported he was rescued “with injuries” but a day later that position changed.

Nana Sechere, who is in Hatay, said they located Atsu’s “exact room location” and found pairs of his shoes. The agent also said that thermal imaging cameras had shown signs of “up to five lives” beneath the rubble, but that it had not been possible to confirm those signs.

He added that “things are moving incredibly slow” and they “urgently need more resources, including a translator”, adding that as a result “any rescues are being delayed, and lives are being lost.”And said it was “unfortunate” that Atsu’s Turkish club was “not on the ground with us, side by side, in the search for Christian”.

“Their position and influence, accompanied with their local knowledge, would be extremely helpful,” he added.Last week Atsu’s partner Claire Rupio called for equipment to be sent to the collapsed building where he was living.
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“It has been nine days since the earthquake and we still have not located Christian,” Sechere tweeted on Tuesday.”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.”

Atsu was staying in a building with a number of Hatayspor team-mates and officials. The club’s sporting director Taner Savut is also missing.

Some survivors are still being rescued after the quakes and aftershocks in southern Turkey and northern Syria that are known to have killed more than 40,000 people.

The 31-year-old has passed away following the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey’s south-eastern border 11 days ago and has claimed the lives of over 35,000 people.

Atsu is currently contracted to Hatayspor and scored a spectacular 97th-minute free kick in their 1-0 win over Kasimpasa in the Turkish Super Lig on 5 February.

In recent heartbreaking developments, it has now been revealed that he was set to leave the country but changed his mind after netting in that victory

Rest In Peace, Atsu!