The exact room occupied by Ghanaian forward Christian Atsu was located by a team of rescuers searching for survivors in the deadly earthquake that struck through towns in Turkey and Syria on February 5.
The 31-year-old footballer who plays for Hatayspor in Turkey was declared missing after the 7.8 magnitude reduced thousands of buildings into rubble.
A statement issued by the Management of Christian Atsu on Tuesday, nine days after the disastrous incident, said though they found the player’s room, he himself could not be found.
“During my time here we have been able to locate Christian Atsu’s exact room location, and we have found two pairs of his shoes,” the statement said.
“Yesterday we received confirmation that thermal imagery was showing signs of up to 5 lives, however, I am told that the only real confirmation of life is through sight, smell and sound, and unfortunately we were not able locate Christian.”
The player’s management was not happy about his club’s attitude towards his rescue.
“It is unfortunate that the club is not on the ground with us, side by side, in the search for Christian.”
Atsu, who joined Chelsea as a youngster back in 2013 after leaving Porto, also had spells with a number of other top-flight clubs including Everton and Bournemouth before moving to St James’ Park.
He joined Hatayspor in the summer and scored his first goal for the club on Sunday night – just hours before the disaster which has devastated Turkey.
Reports suggested that over 35,000 people have lost their lives following the incident with thousands more believed to be injured across Turkey and Syria.
Read also: Mistaken identity: Christian Atsu still not found – Club doctor
BELOW IS THE STATEMENT FROM CHRISTIAN ATSU’s MANAGEMENT
It has been 9 days since the earthquake and we still have not located Christian.
I am at the quake site in Hatay with Christian’s family. The scenes are unimaginable and our hearts are broken for all the people affected.
During my time here we have been able to locate Christian Atsu’s exact room location, and we have found two pairs of his shoes.
Yesterday we received confirmation that thermal imagery was showing signs of up to 5 lives, however, I am told that the only real confirmation of life is through sight, smell and sound, and unfortunately we were not able locate Christian.
This is a difficult situation and we are extremely grateful to all the Turkish and foreign rescue teams, local civilians and volunteers for their efforts and response in rescuing survivors. However, we urgently need more resources, including a translator, on the ground. Things are moving incredibly slow and as a result of that many rescues are being delayed, and lives are being lost due to the lack of resources available to the workers.
It is unfortunate that the club is not on the ground with us, side by side, in the search for Christian. Their position and influence, accompanied with their local knowledge would be extremely helpful. We implore the President of the club and mayor of Hatay, Lütfü Savaş to provide additional resources to speed up the rescue efforts as a priority.
Read also: Ghanaian player Atsu’s partner appeals for equipment to help rescue in Turkey