The manager and agents of Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu have rejected reports that he was rescued from the ruins of an earthquake that devastated Turkey and Syria.
It was revealed that Atsu was trapped in the wreckage of an earthquake that struck along the border between Southern Turkey and Northern Syria earlier this week, which was followed by a second tremor, with the earthquake killing over 9,000 people so far.
Following the first news about Atsu, a lot of conflicting stories appeared, with a spokesperson for Hatayspor – where Atsu presently plays football – reporting he was rushed to hospital injured.
The Ghana Football Federation (GFA) also posted on Twitter. “We’ve received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment.”
Nana Sechere, Christian Atsu’s agent, has issued a statement stating that they are unable to confirm the footballer’s whereabouts. “Following yesterday’s update from the club that Christian had been pulled out alive, we are yet to confirm Christian’s whereabouts.
“As you can imagine, this continues to be a devastating time for his family and we are doing everything we can to locate Christian.
“Official updates will be provided as more information comes to light. Please respect the families privacy during this harrowing time, and refrain from spreading unsubstantiated news as this will only hamper the search efforts for Christian. Sechere added.
Christian Atsu’s image agent, Gaynor Fascione, who is in communication with the player’s family in the United Kingdom, told AFP, “He is still missing. The club cannot find him among all the hospitals.” She added, “Everyone is trying to locate the medical centre where he might be.”
Volkan Demirel, the manager of Hatayspor, has also supplied an update “There is no news from Atsu and Taner Savut yet. Would I share this if they were in the hospital?” he said. “As soon as the news comes, I will share it.”
Gurbey Kahveci, the club doctor at Hatayspor, added: “We went to the hospitals, but he was not there. Unfortunately, we accept that Taner and Cristian Atsu have not been found at the moment.”
The initial earthquake, measuring 7.8 magnitude, happened in the early hours of Monday, February 6, local time, and was followed by a 7.5 magnitude tremor hours later.