Hatayspor winger Christian Atsu is still missing after the earthquake which devastated Turkey and Syria last week, his agent has confirmed.
On February 6, an earthquake registering 7.8 on the Richter Scale hit Southern Turkey and Northern Syria, resulting in over 37,000 recorded fatalities and unimaginable destruction to buildings and infrastructure on a wide-scale level.
Due to the sustained efforts of medical and recovery teams, false stories have emerged in the media with the condition of Atsu falling under that bracket.
In the hours and days after the initial impact, it was claimed that Atsu had been successfully rescued from an apartment which had collapsed.
The former Chelsea and Newcastle United winger had just returned from a late-night poker game, hours after scoring a 97th-minute winning goal for Hatayspor against Kasimpasa.
However, it has now materialised that Atsu remains unaccounted for, the belief being that he remains under rubble with other people who were present in his apartment block.
His representative Nana Sechere has provided an update on the situation, telling Sky Sports News journalist Lyall Thomas that more resources are urgently needed to proceed with a more efficient rescue attempt.
Christian Atsu's agent Nana Sechere has sent me a really heart-wrenching update from Hatay, Turkey, where they are still searching for the player following the earthquake; #nufc pic.twitter.com/ibSXVHGA3F
— Lyall Thomas (@SkySportsLyall) February 14, 2023
Hatayspor's sporting director Taner Savut is also known to have been staying at the same block of apartments as Atsu and has also not been located.
On Thursday, Turkish Football Federation (TFF) president Mehmet Buyukeksi revealed at a press conference that Hatayspor have already stated that they will not fulfill their remaining matches this season, withdrawing from the top flight with immediate effect.
As it stands, fixtures will not resume until March 3 at the earliest, with Gaziantep FK - situated close to the epicentre of the earthquake - following Hatayspor in making the same decision.
Darren Plant
