The mortal remains of Ghanaian international footballer, Christian Atsu are to be conveyed to his homeland country, Ghana for burial, Minstry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration has said in a statement released Saturday February 18.
The ministry confirmed the recovery of the body this morning in the presence of the brother and twin sister as well as officials of the Ghana Embassy in Turkey.
The former Chelsea FC winger was found dead after the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria last week.
The 31-year-old’s whereabouts remained unknown after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that took place in the early hours of the morning of February 6.
More than 42,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured, while millions have been left homeless following the disaster.
There were hopes the former Newcastle, Bournemouth and Everton winger had been rescued, but his club Hatayspor and agent Nana Sechere had revealed over the past week that these claims were untrue.
Several search and rescue operations in the debris of the building where Atsu and Hatayspor’s sporting director Taner Savut lived, took place – with Savut also missing.
Find copy of the Foreign Affairs statement attached
By Vincent Kubi