We got it wrong, Christian Atsu's body was found in his apartment - Crime Check boss concedes

Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, the Chief Executive Officer of Crime Check Foundation has disclosed that the body of Christian Atsu was found in his apartment in Hatay.

Oppong Kwarteng claimed that information available to him indicates that the late Ghanaian winger was found in the debris of the apartment where he resided.

“The information we have was that his body was found in his apartment. It was found in the rubbles of that building,” he said.

His latest revelation is a departure from his earlier claim that CCTV cameras in the apartment captured Atsu leaving the building before the earthquake.

He detailed that videos captured Atsu running out of the building to seek refuge and that the earthquake happened 20 minutes after he left the apartment.

"I have been briefed by the club that he was not in the building. He run to the parking garage to get his car out and it was during that period that the Renaissance building totally collapsed and that happened 20 minutes after he left the apartment."

"Our brother was not in the building, he went out before the building collapsed. But I can't confirm whether he was able to leave the parking garage with his car or not," he added in his update on Crime Check's YouTube page sighted by GhanaWeb.

Meanwhile, Wisdom Twasam, a brother of Christian Atsu has detailed how information about his brother’s demise was communicated to him.

"We spoke around 12 and we spoke for one hour. I went to sleep and woke up in the morning to calls by another family member asking if I have seen the new information. I checked online and saw the information,” he said.

After twelve days of search and rescue efforts, Christian Atsu was confirmed dead with his body apparently being retrieved from the rubble of a building in Hatayar, Turkey.

The death of Christian Atsu was confirmed by his agent, Nana Sechere who has been in Turkey for over one week.

“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 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.

“I ask that whilst we make the necessary arrangements, that everyone would please respect the privacy of the family during this very difficult time,” he tweeted.

Shortly after, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced plans to fly the remains of Christian Atsu to Ghana.

“The Embassy is currently making the necessary arrangements with the assistance of the Government of Türkiye to have the body transported to Ghana for burial. The public will be updated on further developments.”

The body of the footballer is expected to arrive in the country in the late hours of Sunday, February 19, 2023.

Christian Atsu made 60 appearances for Ghana, scoring 10 goals. He played for Chelsea, Newcastle, Bournemouth and FC Porto.