This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions as news broke that former Newcastle winger Christian Atsu was trapped in the rubble following the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Since then several sources have claimed that Atsu had been found and was receiving treatment, but now it seems that was a case of mistaken identity and Christian Atsu still remains unaccounted for.
The Club Doctor of Hatayspor says, at the moment, the Turkish club are concluding that Christian Atsu is not the one who was found on Monday night.
Quotes verified as from @Hurriyet. pic.twitter.com/ZAg26BZ8hB
— Gary Al-Smith (@garyalsmith) February 8, 2023
The Hatayspor club doctor has confirmed that the person found on Monday night was not actually Christian Atsu and that he and Savut Taner (the Hatayspor sporting director) are still trapped in the rubble of the building they were in when it collapsed.
With the death toll rising as time passes, now believed to be past the 6000 mark, the chances of finding Atsu and Taner alive get slimmer with every passing minute.
It feels a bit grim focusing on just one person in all of this when so many people have been affected, but Atsu’s story will not be a unique one, unfortunately. As people are found their injuries will be such that identifying them will be difficult, which was clearly the case here.
It’s absolutely heartbreaking to think about and puts a lot of things into perspective. I obviously hope that Christian Atsu and Savut Taner are found alive, along with many, many others currently classed as missing. My heart goes out to all those affected.