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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Belthangady: Mixed response to DK Bandh over Suhas murder; stones pelting, tire fires reported
Belthangady: The Dakshina Kannada district bandh called by the Sangh Parivar in protest against the murder of rowdy sheeter Suhas Shetty received a mixed response in Belthangady taluk on Saturday. While most shops and commercial establishments remained shut, private vehicles continued to ply on the roads as usual.
The bandh supporters staged demonstrations at various locations in the taluk, expressing their anger by setting tires ablaze on the roads. Incidents of tire burning were reported from areas including Kakkinj, Mundaje, and Gerukatte.
A private bus near Guruvayankare Jainpet was targeted with stones. The front windshield of the vehicle was completely shattered in the attack. No injuries were reported.
Commercial activity came to a halt in major towns and villages such as Ujire, Belthangady, Guruvayankare, Madanthyaru, Aladangady, Kokkad, and Dharmasthala, with shops and business outlets closed. A few hotels had opened briefly in the morning hours but later downed their shutters in support of the bandh.
Transport services witnessed partial disruption. While KSRTC buses operated on local routes within the taluk and from Dharmasthala to other districts, services to Mangaluru were halted for the day. Private vehicles, however, moved around freely without major hindrance.
The police had deployed personnel in sensitive areas of the taluk to maintain law and order and ensure the bandh did not escalate into violence.
