Africa

Ghanaian football star Atsu found alive in Turkey quake wreckage

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Former Chelsea and Newcastle playmaker Christian Atsu. PHOTO/COURTESY
Former Chelsea and Newcastle playmaker Christian Atsu. PHOTO/COURTESY

Ghana Football Association has confirmed that national player Christian Atsu had been found alive.

According to the association he had been trapped in the rubble of an earthquake that killed more than 4,800 people in Turkey and neighbouring Syria.

The former Newcastle United who plies his trade for Hatayspor, was reported missing in Turkey’s Hatay province following the magnitude 7.8 quake and its aftershocks that brought down thousands of buildings, killing some 5,000 people, in several Turkish and Syrian cities on Monday.

Atsu, 31, joined Turkish Süper Lig side Hatayspor in September, based in the southern province of Hatay near the epicenter of Monday’s massive quake.

Officials say as many as 1,500 buildings were destroyed in Hatay province.

Atsu played in the English Premier League for Newcastle United and Everton, on loan from Chelsea, and joined Hatayspor in September.

He was last selected to play for Ghana in 2019 but has not officially retired from international football.

Atsu spent five seasons at Newcastle after an initial campaign on loan before leaving for Saudi Arabia in 2021.

He won the last of his 60 Ghana national caps in September 2019.

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Milton Nyakundi

Milton Nyakundi is a veteran multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience across broadcast, digital, and print media, who relocated to the United States in 2022 and is now the Senior International Correspondent for Kurunzi News based in Washington, DC, USA. He has previously worked with the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), among other high-profile roles with Kenya's first privately-owned media outlet - Kenya Television Network. His experience also include prominent roles as Media Consultant for Football Kenya Federation (FKF), and StarTimes Kenya. His career spans high‑stakes political reporting covering legislative and constitutional issues, elections, governance, and accountability across Kenya, Africa, and global arenas. He also boasts extensive sports journalism experience, covering local and international sports events, including leagues, tournaments and sports governance. He is well-known for his investigative depth, editorial leadership, and evidence-driven journalism that guides his consistent delivery of public‑interest storytelling across platforms.

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