Christian Atsu is confirmed to have died following the devastating earthquake in Turkey

It has been tragically confirmed that Christian Atsu died in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria last week.

The whereabouts of the 31-year-old remained unknown after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake occurred in the early hours of February 6.

More than 42,000 people have died and thousands more have been injured, while millions have been left homeless in the aftermath of the disaster.

Tremors from the deadly quake, which lasted about a minute and could be the largest to hit Turkey, were felt as far away as Egypt, Lebanon and the island of Cyprus.

There were hopes that the former Chelsea, Newcastle, Bournemouth and Everton winger had been bailed out, but his club Hatayspor and his agent Nana Sechere had revealed over the past week that these the claims were false.

Christian Atsu, 31, has been pronounced dead after the devastating earthquake in Turkey

The whereabouts of the Ghanaian international were unknown after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake

Atsu’s relatives waited for news as search and rescue operations were carried out in Turkey.

Several search and rescue operations were carried out in the rubble of the building where Atsu and Hatayspor sporting director Taner Savut lived, with Savut also missing.

Sechere explained on Tuesday how Atsu’s exact ‘room location’ and even two pairs of his shoes had been pinpointed.

Later, another of Atsu’s agents, Murat Uzunmehmet, confirmed that he had been found under the rubble on Saturday, 12 days after the earthquake.

Uzunmehmet told reporters: ‘Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble. Currently, more items are still being released. His phone was also found.

Atsu was scheduled to fly in from southern Turkey hours before the quake hit, but the Hatayspor manager said on Friday the Ghanaian had opted to stay with the club after scoring the game-winning goal in a Super Lig match on 5 April. February.

Atsu, 31, enjoyed an extremely impressive football career after breaking away from Portuguese giants Porto.

His exploits in Portugal, which also included a loan spell at Rio Ave, led to Atsu signing for Chelsea.

He spent five years at Stamford Bridge but never actually made a first-team appearance, having spent stints away from the club with Vitesse Arnhem, Everton, Bournemouth, Malaga and Newcastle, before making a permanent move to the Magpies in 2016.

He was promoted to the Premier League with the club during the 2016-17 season under Rafa Benítez and made 121 total appearances over five years.

On leaving Newcastle, he moved to Saudi Arabia to play for Al-Raed, before joining Hatayspor last September.

Atsu had been in Turkey since joining Hatayspor in September last year after leaving Al-Raed.

Atsu enjoyed an extremely impressive career with various clubs and also in his home country of Ghana.

The 31-year-old moved to Portugal at 17 to pursue his dream after growing up in Ghana.

Atsu also had a decorated international career, earning 65 caps for Ghana and scoring nine goals, while also representing them at the 2014 World Cup.

He was awarded Player of the Tournament at AFCON 2015 when the Black Stars came in second.

After growing up in Ghana, Atsu moved to Portugal to pursue his dream of becoming a professional footballer at the age of 17.

Atsu was a devout Christian and married his wife Marie-Claire Rupio Atsu in 2012. The couple had three children together: two sons and a daughter.