Footage reveals devastation at ruins in Turkey where Christian Atsu was found dead

Drone footage has revealed the scene of devastation at the luxury apartment block in Turkey where the body of former Chelsea star Christian Atsu was found today.

Search teams continued to explore the rubble for more victims while asking questions about how the block collapsed in the earthquake 12 days ago.

Thick clouds of dust billowed from piles of crushed concrete and twisted metal as some 17 excavators combed through the ruins of the 31-year-old Atsu block and a neighboring building.

The 12-story tower where the footballer lived, called Rönezans Rezidans which translates as Renaissance Residence, was one of the most exclusive in the southern city of Antakya.

The 249-apartment block is said to have collapsed ‘like a deck of cards’ when the earthquake struck the city just after 4am on February 6.

It was revealed last week that property developer Mehmet Yasar Coskun, who built the tower in 2013, was arrested at Istanbul airport on suspicion of the building’s construction.

He denied having fled the country and insisted he was only going to Montenegro, where he has other projects.

Coskun is said to have stated in leaked testimony that he did not know why the building had not withstood the two earthquakes that hit the region.

His lawyer suggested that the public was looking for scapegoats, as Turkish authorities issued 113 arrest warrants related to construction work across the country.

The white-clad Rönezans Rezidans block, featuring a swimming pool, gym and other luxury facilities, was billed as “a slice of paradise” with “the highest construction standards” when it was built.

It is said to have been home to up to 1,000 people, including the Ghanaian footballer, but hundreds are feared to have died in the rubble.

It is said that many chose to live there, believing that its modern construction meant that it was safe from earthquakes.

The Dünya business newspaper said the block had been built on “floating foundations” to better withstand seismic activity.

But reports have suggested that some residents raised concerns about the state of the tower 10 years before its collapse.

Other buildings in the area that are much older remained standing, although most show signs of serious damage.

A nearby resident told MailOnline: ‘Rönezans was a special place to live. It should never have collapsed like this. Someone has to answer for it.

Turkish miners and rescue teams from other countries, including Hungary, Romania and China, worked around the clock digging into the remains of Rönezans Rezidans in the days immediately following the disaster.

Only a few dozen people were pulled alive from the ruins of their two to five-bedroom apartments in the block.

Thermal equipment detected signs of human life under the rubble, and in some cases distant voices of survivors could be heard, but the readings turned negative as people died because no one could reach them.

An unspecified number of bodies have been recovered from the block, with some victims said to show signs of having died of hypothermia while trapped rather than crush injuries as overnight temperatures dropped below freezing.

Grant Rice, the operations officer for the AUS-2 disaster assistance response team, which is largely made up of firefighters from Australia, told MailOnline there was still a chance of finding survivors.

Mr Rice, who is working on the neighboring collapsed block, said: “We have been assisting local authorities throughout the area with our heavy cutting and lifting equipment, and removing the victims.” We’ve also been looking at some of the voids in the basement levels.

‘Unfortunately, we haven’t found anyone alive, but we still have some hope. There are voids where people could be, and could have potentially survived.

‘It’s just amazing. Looking at the pile of rubble, I can’t imagine what these buildings looked like before.

‘The Turkish people have been amazing with the gratitude they have shown us. We just want to help some of the families get to closure.’

Atsu, who played for Chelsea from 2013 to 2017 and had a stint at Newcastle, is believed to have lived on the block since joining Turkish club Hatayspor last year.

It was known that he had been missing since the earthquake. Initial hopes that he had been rescued were later dashed.

His agent Murat Uzunmehmet revealed the devastating news of his death on Saturday morning saying: ‘Atsu’s lifeless body was found under the rubble. Currently, more items are still being released. His phone was also found.

‘My condolences to his family and loved ones. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support.’

Atsu scored in the last minute of the club’s match against rivals Kasimpasa the afternoon before the earthquake.

It is believed that he returned to his apartment shortly before the earthquake after celebrating his team’s victory with a late-night game of poker.

Hatayspor called him ‘a beautiful person’ and said there were ‘no words to describe our sadness’.