Turkey earthquake: Five things we know since Christian Atsu’s death was reported

The late Christian Atsu was an employee of Turkish club, Hatayspor, and was caught in the earthquake of February 6. His remains were found on February 18 after 12 days of intense search.

Atsu's death was confirmed on February 18 by his manager Nana Sechere who was himself in Turkey to help with the rescue efforts, as well as his club side Hatayspor.

GhanaWeb looks back at five major things that have come up since the death was announced almost 24-hours ago.

Body recovered in morning of February 18

"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," his agent wrote on Twitter.

Atsu to be brought back home

In a tweet confirming his demise, Hatayspor wrote, “The funeral of our football player Christian Atsu, who lost his life under the rubble (debris), is on its way to be sent to his hometown, Ghana.”

Remains leave Hatay for Istanbul

GhanaWeb checks show that the body was moved by road to an airport in Hatay and flown to Istanbul, from where it will be flown to the Kotoka International Airport.

Family readying to undertake crucial rites

When GhanaWeb visited the family home in Accra on Saturday, there was a media blackout of sorts with the excuse being that the family will only speak to the media after some specific rites have been carried out.

Our lenses, however, captured preparations which included the bringing in of chairs and setting up of tents in anticipation of receiving visitors in the coming days.



Mortal remains expected in Accra on February 19

The mortal remains of the player is expected to arrive in the country on February 19, 2023 at 7:30pm according to some local news outlets.

It will be accompanied by two members of the family and government representatives. At the time of filing this report, it was at the Istanbul Airport after it was flown in from Hatay.

Family issues statement on viral photo of corpse?

The extended family of the late player has reportedly appealed to members of the public to desist from circulating a photo purporting to be of the footballer in the ruins of a rubble.

The said photo according to a statement has been making the rounds despite its insensitivity to the family and the fact that it flouts known Ghanaians traditions.

The family said even though they appreciated the outpouring of love and solidarity since Atsu was declared missing on February 6, "it is however unhappy about the growing circulation of the photo in which the body of their beloved son is in the grips of the thick and heavy broken walls of the ruined building."

SARA