Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu has been found dead under the building where he lived in southern Turkey after last week's massive earthquake, the former Chelsea winger's Turkish agent and his club confirmed.
Atsu, 31, was among the victims of the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria on February 6 and killed more than 44,000 people in both countries.
Early reports suggested he had been rescued a day after the quake, but it turned out to be false.
Atsu's manager in Turkey, Murat Uzunmehmet, told DHA news agency on Saturday that his body had been found under the rubble in the Turkish southern province of Hatay.
"We have reached his lifeless body. His belongings are still being removed. His phone was also found," Uzunmehmet told DHA.
Midfielder Atsu spent four seasons at Chelsea before a permanent transfer to Newcastle in 2017. He signed in September for Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor.
His club Hatayspor also confirmed the news on social media, stating that the body of Atsu will be sent to Ghana for funeral.
"The funeral of our football player Christian Atsu, who lost his life under the collapse, is on his way to be sent to his hometown Ghana. We will not forget you, Atsu. Peace be upon you, beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness. Rest in peace," Hatayspor posted on Twitter.
Atsu made 121 appearances for Newcastle and was part of the team which won promotion back to the Premier League in 2017.
Atsu also had loan spells at Everton and Bournemouth while contracted to Chelsea. Former Chelsea captain John Terry tweeted a picture of Atsu alongside the message: "RIP my friend."
"Chelsea sends our heartfelt condolences to Christian's family and friends and to all those affected by the earthquake tragedy," the London club said in a statement.
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A woman walks among destroyed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. Getty Images -
A woman mourns a relative during the burial of one of the earthquake victims in Antakya, southeastern Turkey. AP Photo -
A family photo is seen amid the rubble in Hatay. Getty Images -
Syrian refugees in Turkey return to their home country following the deadly earthquake. AFP -
Members of NGOs Deathcare Embalming Team and Turkish Kurt-Ar inspect the bucket of an excavator as they search for bodies in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AP Photo -
Dust covers a family photo album found in Antakya. AP Photo -
A man made homeless by the 7.8-magnitude quake carries mattresses distributed by an NGO at a makeshift camp in Afrin, in Syria's Aleppo province. AFP -
A cracked road near the quake’s epicentre in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. AFP -
A rescuer stands near the site where Aleyna Olmez, 17, was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras, about 10 days after the quake struck. AFP -
A rescuer holds a cat after it was rescued from the ruins of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. AFP -
Quake survivors queue for food amid the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters -
Bedran, a local resident who lost his house in the earthquake, keeps warm in Antakya, Turkey. Reuters -
A girl carries a box of water bottles next to a damaged mosque in Antakya. Reuters -
A car lies crushed by parts of a badly damaged building in Samandag, Turkey. AP -
Residentes remove their belongings from their destroyed house in Samandag. AP -
Aleyna Olmez, 17, is rescued after being trapped for 10 days in Kahramanmaras. Getty -
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, left, with Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Ankara. AFP -
A message scrawled on a car covered in dust from collapsed buildings in Antakya, Turkey. AP -
Destruction in Antakya. AP -
A cracked road leads to a flooded area in Antakya. AP -
A man looks bewildered at the site of collapsed buildings in Hatay, Turkey. EPA -
Numbered stones near graves of earthquake victims at a cemetery in Adiyaman, Turkey. EPA -
A makeshift camp set up amid the rubble in Antakya, south of Hatay. AFP -
A woman holds her baby inside a tent in a camp in Antakya, Hatay. AFP -
Greek and Turkish rescuers are at work to extract bodies of victims from the rubble in Antakya. AFP -
Samar Hamouda, 44, recalls her experience of the earthquake destroying her home, at Tishreen Hospital in Latakia, Syria. Reuters -
A damaged house in Jableh, Syria. Reuters -
Photos of missing children left in hope in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters -
People collect copies of holy books from the rubble in Kahramanmaras. Reuters -
Rescuers search for survivors under the rubble of a collapsed building in Kahramanmaras. Reuters -
People carry a bodybag as residents wait for their relatives to be pulled out from the rubble in Hatay. AFP -
Dust covers a family photo album found in the debris of a building in Antakya. AP -
Portuguese rescue team members try to free the dog named Tarcin from the rubble in Antakya in Hatay. EPA -
An injured survivor at a makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP -
A makeshift hospital set up at Turkish Bayraktar warship anchored near Iskenderun city, southern Turkey. AP -
Britain's King Charles III (C) meets with members of the Turkish diaspora community who have been collecting, packaging and organising the transportation of food, blankets and warm clothing for people who have recently been affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, during a visit to the West London Turkish Volunteers, in Hounslow, greater London. AFP -
People stand by the fire next to the ruins of a collapsed building in Elbistan, Turkey. Reuters -
Destroyed buildings in Syria's rebel-held village of Atarib, in the north-western Aleppo province. AFP -
Rescuers carry Fatma, 15, who was pulled out from the rubble in Hatay, Turkey. Reuters -
A displaced woman receives food inside a stadium in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters -
People lineup to receive aid supplies at a makeshift camp in Iskenderun city in southern Turkey. AP -
Humanitarian aid provided by Saudi Arabia for survivors of the February 6 earthquake are unloaded at Aleppo Airport in northern Syria. AFP -
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the World Government Summit in Dubai via video link. Antonie Robertson/The National -
A man walks between trains being using as shelters in Iskenderun, southern Turkey. AP Photo -
A woman and children inside a train being used as shelter after the earthquake, in Iskenderun. AP Photo -
Tents erected in a school yard for Syrians who have lost their homes after the deadly quake, in the rebel-held town of Harem in Syria. Reuters -
A woman walks by the destroyed Habib-i Neccar mosque in the historic southern city of Antakya in Hatay, Turkey. AFP -
Rescuers pull out a 12-year-old Syrian girl, Cudi, from the rubble in Hatay. AFP -
Amar, a Syrian refugee living in Turkey, looks on as search for survivors continues in Kahramanmaras. Reuters -
Displaced people keep warm by a fire in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters -
Earthquake survivors receive distributed meals in Golbasi, Turkey. AP -
A woman stands amid boxes of donated clothes in Golbasi, Turkey. AP -
A man walks near a damaged building that leans on a neighbouring house in Golbasi, Turkey. AP -
UN emergency relief co-ordinator Martin Griffiths stands amid quake-damaged buildings in Aleppo, Syria. Reuters -
Delegates observe a moment of silence for the Turkey–Syria earthquake before the start of the World Government Summit in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National -
People keep warm by a fire as the search for survivors continues a week after the earthquake in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters -
A child receives food in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters -
A dog is seen through a glass door in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters -
Children walk in the street with food boxes in Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters -
A minaret stands as the sun rises over the earthquake-hit city of Kahramanmaras, Turkey. Reuters
