According to a report in the Portuguese sports newspaper “A Bola”, soccer professional Christian Atsu, who went missing after the earthquake disaster in the Turkish-Syrian border region, has been found alive.
The 31-year-old player from the Turkish club Hatayspor, who once played for FC Porto, is therefore in the hospital with an injury to his right foot and breathing difficulties. A sports journalist, Saddick Adams, also tweeted that a teammate had informed Atsu’s management that Atsu had been taken to the hospital. A confirmation from the club is still pending.
Atsu’s former club Chelsea previously tweeted: “We pray for you Christian Atsu”. His current employer Hatayspor comes from the city of Antakya on the Turkish-Syrian border. Only a few hours before the earthquake, Atsu had scored the goal in the Süper Lig basement duel against Kasimpasa to make it 1-0.
In addition to Chelsea FC and Porto FC, Atsu also played for Everton FC, Newcastle United and Malaga FC. The Ghanaian striker became champion and Portuguese Super Cup winner with Porto.
After one of the worst earthquake disasters in recent decades, several thousand deaths are to be feared in southern Turkey and northern Syria. The number of victims was given as more than 2,500 on Monday evening. However, the actual extent was initially not foreseeable, since hundreds were probably still buried. According to previous information, more than 13,500 people in Turkey and Syria were injured.