Christian Atsu, a former Newcastle United soccer player, has been found dead under the rubble of his collapsed home in Turkey following a devastating earthquake.

Atsu, 31, who played for the Antakya side Hatayspor, was previously been misidentified in the aftermath of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake as being alive with injuries.

Sadly, the Ghanaian player's body was recovered this morning nearly two weeks after the first devastating earthquake hit the region, per Sky News.

The news was confirmed by his agent Nana Sechere who gave a heartfelt state via Twitter. "It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to all well wishers that sadly Christian Atsu’s body was recovered this morning," Sechere began.

"My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support," he concluded while asking that Atsu's loved ones have their privacy respected at this difficult time.

Atsu was a beloved player around the world but had a special relationship with the Premier League side Newcastle United as he quickly became a fan favorite.

He initially joined the league with Chelsea in 2013 after signing from the Portuguese side Porto and after a series of loan moves that included Bournemouth, Everton, and Vitesse he joined Newcastle on loan in 2016 before signing permanently the following year, per BBC News.

The star would make 121 Premier League appearances, with 107 of those being for Newcastle where he scored eight goals. The club has paid tribute to their former player.

"We are profoundly saddened to learn that Christian Atsu has tragically lost his life in Turkey's devastating earthquakes," the statement began. "A talented player and a special person, he will always be fondly remembered by our players, staff and supporters. Rest in peace, Christian."

The talented player also represented Ghana on the international stage, scoring nine times in 65 appearances.

Atsu was due to fly out of Turkey that evening as he looked to sign for a new club in France, but decided to stay after scoring a game-winning free kick in stoppage time for Hatayspor just hours before the earthquake struck, as reported by Sky News.

The manager of Hataysport Fatih Ilek told Turkish radio yesterday, via Sky: "Atsu wanted to play more and asked for permission from his coach to leave if he wasn't going to get it.

"He bought a ticket to fly to Istanbul, and from there to France. He was going to look for a club to get more playing time."

Tributes have been pouring in for Atsu, including from his former club Chelsea, which penned: "Everyone at Chelsea Football Club is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of our former player, Christian Atsu. Our thoughts go out to his family and friends."

A statement on the Premier League Twitter account read: "We are deeply saddened by the news Christian Atsu lost his life in the devastation of the earthquakes that have hit Turkey and Syria. Our thoughts and condolences are with Christian's family and friends and everyone affected by this tragic event."

Atsu is survived by his wife Marie-Claire Rupio Atsu and their three children. Our thoughts are with them at this devastating time.

Featured image credit: News Images / Alamy

The family of a 26-year-old Brazilian tourist who died after falling from a cliff while hiking an active volcano in Indonesia, has spoken out publicly, placing blame on local rescue teams and calling for justice, Folha reports.

Juliana Marins was reported missing after she fell from a high-altitude trail near the crater of Mount Rinjani, a 12,000-foot volcano on the island of Lombok, during a sunrise trek on Saturday, June 21.

Her fall occurred at around 6:30AM local time while she was making her way toward the summit.

It took rescue teams four days to recover her body, a delay her family says was inexcusable.

"Juliana suffered great negligence on the part of the rescue team," her relatives wrote in an emotional statement shared on social media and broadcast by TV Globo in Brazil. “If the team had reached her within the estimated time of seven hours, Juliana would still be alive.”

“Juliana deserved much more,” they added. “Now we are going to seek justice for her, because that is what she deserves! Don’t give up on Juliana!”

The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed her death in a translated statement, noting that “after four days of work, made difficult by adverse weather, ground and visibility conditions,” Indonesian rescue teams located her body on Tuesday, June 24, PEOPLE reports.

“[We] extend our condolences to the family and friends of the Brazilian tourist for the immense loss caused by this tragic accident,” the ministry said.

An Instagram account created to track updates on Juliana's recovery confirmed the heartbreaking news: “With immense sadness, we inform you that she did not survive. We remain very grateful for all the prayers, messages of affection and support that we have received.”

According to a post by Gunung Rinjani National Park, her body was retrieved from the treacherous mountain terrain on Wednesday, June 25, and transported to Bhayangkara Hospital.

Officials acknowledged that the operation involved “cross-agency collaboration and volunteers, working in extreme terrain with unpredictable weather.”

Juliana’s father, Manoel Marins, later identified her body at the hospital, but said the family felt abandoned by their own country’s officials.

“The Brazilian government, which we’ve tried to contact, is also not helping us,” he told TV Globo, as reported by The Daily Beast and Newsweek. “This is very sad and extremely serious. She is a 26-year-old girl, a Brazilian citizen, and no one, except family and friends, seems to care.”

Juliana’s sister, Marianna, also voiced frustration, alleging that the Indonesian rescue team shared misleading information and even edited footage of the search.

She claimed the family was falsely told Juliana was receiving food and water. “The Indonesian government is lying, and the embassy is not verifying the facts before informing us,” she said.

The family continues to demand answers, saying the delay and lack of transparency cost Juliana her life.

Featured image credit: Ulet Ifansasti / Getty Images.

A Uruguayan soccer player has tragically passed away aged just 27 after collapsing on the pitch during a game.

Juan Izquierdo collapsed during the second leg of Nacional’s round of 16 tie against São Paulo at Morumbi Stadium in Brazil on August 22, per the Guardian.

It is believed his collapse was caused by an irregular heartbeat and he was immediately transported to the hospital, where he was placed in neurological critical care due to increased intracranial pressure.

Izquierdo had been on a ventilator since Sunday.

The Nacional defender was pronounced dead at 9:38PM local time yesterday, with the hospital confirming the cause as “cardiorespiratory arrest associated with his cardiac arrhythmia.”

Nacional announced Izquierdo's passing in a statement on X (formerly Twitter): “It is with the deepest sorrow and shock in our hearts that the Club Nacional announces the death of our beloved player Juan Izquierdo.

"We express our most sincere condolences to his family, friends, colleagues, and loved ones. All of Nacional is in mourning for his irreparable loss.”

Alejandro Domínguez, the president of CONMEBOL, also expressed his sympathy, saying: “South American football is in mourning.” São Paulo FC described the day as a “sad day for football.”

Izquierdo collapsed in the 84th minute of the match against São Paulo, after replacing Sebastián Coates at halftime.

The defender fell to the ground without any contact with another player.

Medical staff from both teams rushed onto the pitch, and Izquierdo was taken off the field by ambulance, receiving applause from the fans.

Uruguay's first- and second-division football leagues were postponed last weekend out of concern for Izquierdo's health.

In a show of support, São Paulo players wore shirts honoring the Uruguayan player before their 2-1 victory against Vitória on Sunday.

Izquierdo’s football career began in 2018 with local club Cerro. He joined Peñarol in 2019 but saw limited playing time before moving to Montevideo Wanderers.

In 2022, he was signed by Nacional, where he played one match before being transferred to Liverpool FC in Uruguay.

The defender played a crucial role in Liverpool's campaign, helping them secure their first Uruguayan league title in over a century in 2023.

He returned to Nacional earlier this year, competing for a spot in the starting lineup alongside veteran Coates.

This season, Izquierdo appeared in 23 matches and scored one goal.

Our thoughts are with Izquierdo's fans and loved ones at this time.

Featured image credit: Alexandre Schneider/Getty

A family of six has been rescued after being buried under rubble in Turkey for 101 hours after the devastating earthquake.

Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated southern Turkey and northern Syria on Monday morning (February 6) at 04:17 AM local time, with a 6.7 magnitude aftershock being felt 11 minutes later.

Survivors whose homes have been destroyed have taken refuge in stadiums, mosques, shopping malls, and community centers, while about 1,500 people are living in emergency tents in Sanliurfa - one of the cities hit hardest by the disaster, per Sky News.

The tragedy has become the deadliest quake in over a decade after a 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan took the lives of almost 20,000 people. Now, Turkey and Syria are undergoing the results of a major quake on a similar scale, with the death toll steadily increasing.

The country has been searching for bodies of civilians under rubble for the past few days, with even Mexico dispatching some of its renowned search and rescue dogs to help look for people buried under rubble.

According to the outlet, six members of the same family have now been saved after spending over 100 hours trapped under debris in Turkey following the unfortunate disaster.

Miraculously, the family managed to survive by crowding together in a small air pocket beneath a collapsed building in Iskenderun, Hatay province.

This follows an earlier report by Sky News of how rescuers found Adnan Muhammed Korkut alive from underneath the remnants in the city of Gaziantep.

It was stated that the 17-year-old beamed at the crowd of emotional friends and relatives as he was carried out and placed on a stretcher. He was trapped for 94 hours and said that he had been forced to drink his own urine to survive.

A rescue worker called Yasemin told the young boy: "I have a son just like you. I swear to you, I have not slept for four days. I swear I did not sleep; I was trying to get you out."

As well as the increasing number of dead people, tens of thousands of others have been injured, and more are left homeless. In the city of Antakya, people ran for supplies being dispersed from a lorry.

One survivor, Ahmet Tokgoz, asked the government to vacate people from the region and said: "Especially in this cold, it is not possible to live here. If people haven't died from being stuck under the rubble, they'll die from the cold," per Sky News.

In the wake of the traumatic disaster, hundreds of human rights groups, NGOs, and crisis relief organizations (among others) have rallied together to help those affected in the region.

Our thoughts go out to all the lives lost in this tragedy.

Featured image credit: Newscom / Alamy