Ghana: Christian Atsu Laid to Rest in Accra

It was a black Friday for Ghanaians when the remains of Christian Atsu, who died during the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey last month, was laid to rest in Accra, the nation’s capital.

Atsu was caught up in a 7.8-magnitude earthquake that rocked Turkey and Syria on February 6, killing more than 54,000 people in both countries.

He had gone missing following the collapse of an apartment building in Hatay.

There were earlier reports the player had been pulled alive a day after the quake, but these turned out to be false and his body was later found under the rubble and flown back to Ghana.

Hundreds of people attended the burial ceremony at Ghana’s presidential villa, including the country’s president, Nana Akufo-Addo, to pay their last respects.

At the funeral, there were also representatives from Ghana’s national team and Atsu’s Turkish club Hatayspor.

Mourners silently filed past Atsu’s coffin, which arrived draped in Ghana’s national flag. Family, fans and beneficiaries of his charitable donations remembered him as a philanthrop.

Atsu spent four seasons at Chelsea before a permanent transfer to Newcastle in 2017. He signed in September for Turkish Super Lig side Hatayspor, based in Hatay, near the epicentre of the earthquake.