Ex-Chelsea star Christian Atsu’s agent in agonising wait for updates as lines down & hospitals packed with quake victims
CHRISITAN Atsu’s agent is desperately waiting for updates on the ex-Chelsea star after he was rescued from a collapsed building in Turkey.
The dad, 31, was left buried under piles of rubble for more than 24 hours after two powerful earthquakes hit the country, killing more than 7,200 people.
Former Newcastle defender Atsu is understood to have been on the ninth floor of an apartment block in Hatay when a 7.8 magnitude quake rocked the city at 4am local time on Monday.
Several of his Hatayspor teammates were dramatically rescued from their homes, but Atsu and sporting director Taner Savut remained missing as a second quake struck shortly before 1.30pm.
But on Tuesday, the club’s vice president Mustafa Ozat confirmed Atsu had been pulled from the rubble alive.
His agent Nana Sechere, however, said they now have an agonising wait for updates as the city has been left in ruins with very little communication.
He told Ghana radio station Happy FM: “Just to paint you a picture, Hatay is a very small city and hardly anyone speaks English.
“Right now, the whole city has been devastated they are in a state of emergency.
“It means the hospitals are inundated with people, injured people, people who are dying.
“Even if Atsu is in the hospital, there is no way of communicating with Atsu.
“In addition to this, all the phone lines are all dead, so just a few people are able to contact these club members.”
It is understood Ghana ace Atsu was found by rescuers who heard his voice in the rubble.
Hatayspor spokesman Mustafa Ozat earlier said: “Christian Atsu was taken out with injuries.
“Our sporting director, Taner Savut, is unfortunately still under the rubble.”
Atsu, who has three kids with wife Marie-Claire, plays for Hatayspor, who he joined last summer.
Atsu joined Chelsea from Porto for £3.5million in 2013 but didn’t make a single appearance for the Premier League giants.
Atsu took in loans at Vitesse, Everton, Bournemouth, Malaga and Newcastle.
And the Magpies made his deal permanent in 2017 after Atsu played a key role in their promotion from the Championship.
The ace ended up making 86 appearances for Newcastle before joining Al-Raed in 2021.
Atsu moved to Hatayspor last summer and has one goal in four games.
It comes as three Brits are among the 20,000 feared dead after catastrophic quakes rocked Turkey and Syria.
A massive 7.8 magnitude shock – one of the biggest for 100 years – was followed hours later by another huge 7.5 magnitude quake on Monday.
Then on Tuesday, another 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck.
Horror pictures from Turkey show the devastation after tower blocks collapsed – crushing and trapping people inside.
A baby born under the earthquake rubble in Syria was rescued just minutes after entering the world.
The tot was pulled to safety after her courageous mother delivered the little girl under the weight of a wrecked building.
The pregnant woman is believed to have been trapped under the debris for over a day in the northeastern town of Jenderes.
Sadly she reportedly died shortly after giving birth to the child surrounded by the devastation of Turkey‘s terrifying earthquakes.
It comes as the World Health Organisation has warned the death toll could rocket to more than 20,000 as rescuers find more victims in the rubble.
So far, more than 7,200 people have been confirmed dead.
Turkish authorities say 5,434 people have been killed, while in Syria at least 1,832 have died in government and opposition-held areas.
More than 24,400 emergency personnel are helping to find survivors among the debris of the demolished cities.
