Former Chelsea forward Atsu rescued after Turkey earthquake
London (AP/PTI): Former Chelsea and Newcastle forward Christian Atsu was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building following the deadly earthquake that struck Turkey, the Ghana Football Association said in a Twitter post Tuesday.
The Ghana international plays for Turkish club Hatayspor. A club spokesman on Monday told Turkish media that Atsu was thought to be in a building that was brought down by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks that struck southeastern Turkey and neighboring Syria and has killed more than 5,000 people.
Özat said club director Taner Savut was also believed to be in a building that collapsed and club officials couldn’t contact both men. They were likely trapped, Özat said.
At least two other Hatayspor players had to be pulled out of rubble but were now safe, Özat said. Atsu and Savut were the only two Hatayspor players or officials still unaccounted for, he added.
The 31-year-old Atsu joined Hatayspor, which is based in the southern city of Antakya, last year after a spell playing in Saudi Arabia.
The 7.8 magnitude earthquake rocked large parts of Turkey and neighboring Syria in the pre-dawn hours of Monday.
The quake was centered in Turkey’s southeastern province of Kahramanmaras, and was felt as far away as Cairo in Egypt. Hours later, a second 7.5 magnitude jolt, which was possibly an aftershock, struck more than 100 kilometers (60 miles) away from the epicenter of the earthquake and caused more destruction.
Turkish authorities said more than 3,700 buildings were destroyed. The death toll is expected to rise.
Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo offered condolences to the people of Turkey on his official Facebook account and added: “We pray that our fellow Ghanaian, Christian Atsu, is found safe and sound.”
Ghana Football Association spokesman Henry Asante-Twum wrote in an email to The Associated Press that they had no news of Atsu and Ghana’s international relations department was seeking information from Turkish authorities.
Ibrahim Kwarteng, a friend of Atsu, said he had tried calling Atsu but couldn’t reach him.
“We are only praying that he will be found,” Kwarteng said.
Kwarteng runs a foundation in Ghana that helps former prisoners convicted of petty crimes to be reintegrated into society after their release from jail. He said Atsu was the single largest donor to the foundation.
Newcastle said on its official Twitter account it was “praying for some positive news” regarding Atsu.
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Curfew relaxed in Meghalaya's Garo Hills to allow people to buy essential items
Tura (Meghalaya) (PTI): The total curfew imposed in Meghalaya's East and West Garo Hills districts was relaxed on Thursday to allow people to procure essential items, officials said.
The curfew in East Garo Hills was relaxed for five hours from 8 am to 1 pm, while in West Garo Hills, it was relaxed for two hours from 2 pm to 4 pm.
The district administrations said the relaxation was allowed to enable residents to procure essential commodities.
The curfew was imposed in the two districts under Section 163 of the BNSS after violence erupted in West Garo Hills during protests linked to the elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), with demonstrators opposing the participation of non-Garo communities in the filing of nominations for the polls.
Two persons were killed and several others injured when police opened fire to disperse a mob during clashes in the Chibinang area on Tuesday, officials said.
The unrest has led to incidents of arson and damage to property in parts of the Garo Hills region, prompting authorities to deploy additional security forces, including five columns of the Army -- three in Tura town and two in Chibinang -- to restore order.
The chief minister visited Tura on Thursday, during which he reviewed the security situation and held meetings with the West Garo Hills deputy commissioner, as well as senior officers of the Army and the Rapid Action Force (RAF).
Sangma also interacted with local residents and visited several sites damaged during the violence, including burnt shops, destroyed roadside market sheds and the office of the National People's Party (NPP), which was partially damaged due to arson.
In a video statement, the chief minister described the vandalism and arson targeting the party office as unfortunate and assured people that those responsible would face strict action under the law.
He said the party would rebuild the damaged office and would continue to strengthen its organisation, asserting that the NPP "lives in the hearts of the people" and cannot be weakened by such attacks.
In the wake of the violence, Sangma on Wednesday announced the postponement of the GHADC elections that were scheduled to be held on April 10.
The state government has also suspended mobile internet services across five districts of the Garo Hills region as a precautionary measure to prevent the spread of rumours and maintain law and order, officials added.
