Christian Atsu Found Dead Under Rubble After Earthquake in Turkey

Former Ghana winger Christian Atsu was found dead under rubble in Turkey after he went missing following the earthquake in the country last week.

Murat Uzunmehmet, Atsu's agent, confirmed Atsu's death while speaking to reporters in Hatay on Saturday.

"Atsu's lifeless body was found under the rubble," Uzunmehmet said. "Currently, more items are still being taken out. His phone was also found."

Nana Sechere, who also represented Atsu, tweeted a message about the 31-year-old after his body was discovered:

Per Kareem El Damanhoury and Yusuf Gezer of CNN.com, Atsu had been missing since Feb. 6, when a magnitude-7.8 earthquake hit Turkey and Syria.

Hatayspor, Atsu's Turkish club, said on Twitter (h/t El Damanhoury and Gezer) that Atsu's body will be sent to Ghana.

"Peace be upon you, beautiful person. There are no words to describe our sadness," Hatayspor's statement said.

Per the latest update from Kevin Doyle, Usaid Siddiqui and Linah Alsaafin of AlJazeera.com, more than 45,000 people have died in Turkey and Syria thus far as a result of the earthquakes.

Atsu made 65 appearances for Ghana in international competition from 2012 to 2019. He started all three matches for Ghana in group play during the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

In addition to his international career, Atsu also played for English Premier League clubs Chelsea, Everton, Newcastle United and Bournemouth after beginning his senior career in Portugal with Porto.

Atsu scored the only goal of the game in his final appearance for Hatayspor on Feb. 5 in a 1-0 win over Kasimpasa in Turkish Super Lig play.