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Ghanaian footballer Christian Atsu found dead after Turkey earthquake

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According to his agent, the body of former Premier League player and Ghanaian Christian Atsu was discovered in Turkey’s earthquake debris.

Atsu, 31, was wrongly reported to have been rushed to the hospital last week. He was really playing for Super Lig team Hatayspor following earlier stops at Newcastle United and Everton.

After the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6 and killed tens of thousands of people, he had been reported missing in Antakya.

Nana Sechere tweeted: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to announce to all well wishers that sadly Christian Atsu’s body was recovered this morning. My deepest condolences go to his family and loved ones.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their prayers and support. I ask that whilst we make the necessary arrangements, that everyone would please respect the privacy of the family during this very difficult time.”

After spending a portion of his boyhood at the Feyenoord academy in Ghana, Atsu joined Porto in 2011 and then signed with Chelsea for a sum of £3.5 million two years later. He was loaned to Vitesse, Bournemouth, Everton, and Málaga and did not play for the Blues’ first team.

Atsu had a fruitful loan season with Newcastle in 2016–17, and the following year, he committed permanently to the team for £6.2 million. He played with the Magpies for 75 games before moving on to Al-Raed in Saudi Arabia and then Hatayspor. On February 5, the day before two tragic earthquakes shook southeast Turkey, Atsu entered the game as a replacement and scored the game-winning goal against Kasimpasa.

Outside from football, Atsu served as an ambassador for the children’s charity Arms Around the Child, which has offices in Ghana, South Africa, and India and offers homes, protection, support, and education for kids.

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Quake-hit Turkey issues 113 building arrest warrants

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According to Turkish authorities, 113 arrest warrants have been issued in relation to the building of the structures that were destroyed by the earthquake on Monday. There have already been at least 12 people detained by Turkish police, including construction workers.

Rescue operations have been hampered in some areas due to protests in southern Turkey. More than 28,000 individuals have now been officially declared dead in Turkey and Syria.

More arrests are anticipated, but many will interpret the move as an effort to shift responsibility for the catastrophe in general.

Since many new buildings in Turkey are unsafe because of widespread corruption and government practises, experts have been warning about this for years.

In order to promote a construction boom, including in earthquake-prone areas, those rules permitted so-called amnesties for contractors who flouted building regulations.

The earthquake caused the collapse of thousands of buildings, prompting concerns about whether human error contributed to the severity of the natural disaster. After 20 years in office, the president’s future is in jeopardy as elections approach.

The United Nations’ top humanitarian official, who was in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras on Saturday, called the earthquake the “worst occurrence in this region in 100 years.”

For the first time in 35 years, the Turkish-Armenian border crossing reopened on Saturday to permit the passage of aid.

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Turkey and Syria earthquake: Bodies found in search for volleyball team

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Following Monday’s earthquakes, rescuers in Turkey are looking for a group of school volleyball players inside a collapsed hotel when they discover three bodies. Officials in Turkish-controlled northern Cyprus reported that the bodies of two teachers and a student were found in the Isias Hotel in Adiyaman.

39 individuals, including teams for both boys and girls, are alleged to have been present when the structure collapsed. The location, where the relatives of the players have gathered, is still under search.

In southern Turkey and northern Syria, the earthquakes have claimed thousands of lives. Along with their coaches and parents, the players had travelled to Adiyaman from Famagusta Turkish Maarif College.

Four members of the group are known to have survived the collapse of the seven-story building, having apparently made their own way out of the rubble.

Officials were quoted by Turkish-Cypriot media as claiming that an eighth-grade student was recovered after the bodies of two instructors were discovered on Wednesday, bringing the total number of fatalities to three.

Around 170 people, including family members and rescuers, have travelled to the wreckage from the portion of Northern Cyprus that is under Turkish control. They would stay there until the remaining pupils were located, according to an island education official.

One of the mothers at the scene questioned the structures’ construction and inquired as to whether they had undergone sufficient inspection.

It is known that deaths occurred in the two countries for close to 16,000 people. The World Health Organization has cautioned that without food, water, shelter, fuel, or electricity, many more people risk dying.

More than 72 hours after the disaster happened, expectations are dwindling for the numerous people left under wrecked structures as freezing weather creeps in.

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Turkey earthquake: Erdogan ‘responsible for this’ opposition leader says

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After thousands of people killed in two devastating earthquakes on Monday, anger in Turkey is building over what many see as the government’s lack of preparation. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the official death toll in Turkey has increased to 9,057 while visiting one of the worst-affected areas.

He is to blame for the extent of the destruction, according to the main opposition leader. Mr. Erdogan retaliated, claiming it was “impossible” to be ready for such a significant tragedy.

The Turkish Disaster and Emergency Management Authority’s (AFAD) response was criticised by many in the worst-affected districts as being too delayed. Others claim that the government wasn’t adequately ready in advance.

“If there is one person responsible for this, it is Erdogan,” said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey’s main opposition party.

The president disagreed with this. Additionally, he called “provocateurs” individuals who claimed that security officers had not been present at all in certain locations.

“This is a time for cooperation and support. I can’t stand it when people run smear campaigns for political gain during this time “He told the Hatay reporters.

He recognised some initial issues, but said the situation was now “under control” during another stop on his tour of sites in the disaster zone earlier today.

Tuesday, Arzu Dedeoglu said that two of her nieces were buried beneath the debris in the port city of Iskenderun in the southern region of Turkey. She claimed that although her family had arranged a digger using their own funds to remove the rubble, officials did not permit them to utilise it.

A “tax” imposed by the Turkish government in the wake of a devastating earthquake that claimed more than 17,000 lives in 1999 is also causing increasing outrage.

The estimated 88 billion lira ($4.6 billion; £3.8 billion) was intended for spending on emergency services improvement and disaster prevention.

Every time Turkey experiences an earthquake, questions concerning the “special communication tax,” as the authorities refer to it, are raised. However, the government has never made the money’s use public.

And Mr. Kilicdaroglu claimed that the government of Mr. Erdogan “had not made an earthquake preparation in 20 years.”

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Turkey earthquake: Erdogan announces three-month state of emergency in quake area

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In 10 of the regions most severely impacted by the earthquake that has killed thousands of people, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared a three-month state of emergency.

3,549 people have now died in Turkey, according to Mr. Erdogan. There have reportedly been 1,600 fatalities in Syria. In a televised speech, Mr. Erdogan stated that the purpose of declaring a state of emergency is to allow for “expeditiously carried out” rescue operations in the nation’s southeast.

Without providing more information, he said the steps will get aid personnel and money into the impacted areas. Just prior to the elections on May 14, when Mr. Erdogan will try to retain his position as president after 20 years, the state of emergency will end.

The last time a state of emergency was enacted in Turkey was in 2016 following a failed coup. Two years later, it was repealed. In a race against time to locate survivors of the earthquake that occurred early on Monday, rescuers in Turkey are facing heavy rain and snow.

The World Health Organization has issued a warning that the death toll may sharply increase as rescuers discover additional fatalities.

In scenes that were repeated around southern Turkey, heavy equipment worked through the night in the city of Adana, with lights lighting the collapsed buildings and enormous slabs of concrete.

Occasionally, when a survivor was discovered or when the dead were collected, the labour would stop and a cry of “Allahu Akbar” would be heard.

People who lost their homes as well as others who are afraid of aftershocks are all homeless in Adana. Some people departed without their shoes, coats, or phone chargers. Later this week, temperatures are predicted to fall below freezing.

According to the US Geological Survey, the 7.8 magnitude earthquake occurred on Monday at 04:17 (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9 km (11 miles) close to the city of Gaziantep.

Later, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake with its epicentre in the Elbistan region of the Kahramanmaras province occurred. The main road leading to the Turkish city of Maras, which is close to the epicentre of the earthquake, was completely stopped in traffic on Tuesday morning.

Cars periodically plodded forward, their red brake lights illuminating the slick road. Only a few rescuers have so far arrived in this region of southern Turkey.

One search and rescue crew, on their way to the city with their van stocked with specialised tools and supplies, told the BBC that while they were excited to start searching for survivors, they were unaware of the extent of the destruction.

According to the most recent announcement from Turkey’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), 8,000 people have been saved nationwide from more than 4,700 demolished buildings.

Rescuers in some regions have been sifting through the debris with their bare hands as the aftershocks continue. But the cold is making it difficult to conduct searches.

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180 Dead After Powerful Quake In Turkey, Syria, People Were Sleeping

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The 7.8-magnitude earthquake, which had its epicentre in southeast Turkey close to the border between the two nations, left more than 110 people dead Monday in government-held areas of Syria, according to the Syrian health ministry. Turkish emergency service authorities first reported 76 fatalities, but they warned that number might rise sharply because the accident, which occurred at night, had destroyed dozens of apartment buildings around major cities.

“516 injuries and 111 deaths recorded in the provinces of Aleppo, Latakia, Hama and Tartus,” the ministry said in a statement. Earlier, a local hospital told AFP at least eight were killed in the northern areas controlled by pro-Turkish factions — bringing the country’s total to at least 119 dead. 

Television footage showed horrified Turks watching rescuers sift through the wreckage of destroyed homes while standing in the snow in their pyjamas.

According to the US agency, the earthquake occurred at 04:17 local time (0117 GMT) at a depth of roughly 17.9 kilometres (11 miles), and 15 minutes later, a 6.7-magnitude aftershock occurred.

The initial earthquake’s magnitude was estimated by Turkey’s AFAD emergency service centre to be 7.4. The quake was among the strongest to strike the area in at least a century.

The earthquake destroyed scores of structures in important southern Turkish cities as well as in the neighbouring country of Syria, which has been plagued by turmoil for more than ten years and is home to millions of displaced people.

Rescuers were seen sifting through the wreckage of demolished buildings in the cities of Karamanmaras and Gaziantep in images that appeared on Turkish television and social media.

In one of the images from Kahramanmaras, a fire lighted up the night sky, but its source was unknown.

Buildings also collapsed, according to NTV television, in the cities of Adiyaman, Malatya, and Diyarbakir.

The earthquake was reportedly felt in sections of central Turkey including the capital Ankara, according to CNN Turk television. Turkey is located in one of the seismically active regions of the planet.

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Turkey condemns ‘vile’ Sweden Quran-burning protest

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Turkey has denounced as a “vile act” the burning of a copy of the Quran during a protest in Sweden. The statement referred to the Swedish government’s decision to permit the protest as “absolutely reprehensible.”

It happens while diplomatic tension between the two nations is rising. A visit by Sweden’s Defence Minister, Pal Jonson, was cancelled earlier after Turkey, which had pleaded with Sweden to put an end to the demonstration, claimed the trip had “lost its purpose and meaning.”

The trip was intended to allay Ankara’s concerns over the Scandinavian nation joining the Nato military alliance. Both Sweden’s and Finland’s applications to the NATO have so far been delayed by Turkey.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s detractors and the Kurds it accuses of being terrorists are among the political concessions Turkey seeks. Turkey is already a member of NATO, thus it has the power to prevent another nation from entering. After Russia invaded Ukraine, both Sweden and Finland submitted applications to join NATO.

A copy of the Quran was set on fire by Rasmus Paludan, a member of the extreme right-wing Stram Kurs (Hard Line) party, during the demonstration on Saturday afternnon in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm. Muslims believe the Quran as a sacred text from God and find it highly insulting when it is intentionally harmed or treated disrespectfully.

Turkey is a predominantly Muslim nation. The crime, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, occurred “despite numerous warnings.” It stated that it was totally unacceptable to allow this anti-Islam conduct, which attacks Muslims and denigrates our fundamental principles, under the cover of “freedom of expression.”

It continued by saying that the burning of the Quran was just another illustration of the “alarming” degree to which racism, bigotry, and Islamophobia had spread throughout Europe, and it urged the Swedish government to take “required actions.” Tobias Billstrom, Sweden’s foreign minister, referred to the behaviour as “appalling.”

Stockholm also saw separate demonstrations both in favour of and against Turkey. Our relationships with Turkey are very important to Sweden, and we look forward to continuing the dialogue on mutual security and defence matters at a later time, Mr. Jonson tweeted after Turkey cancelled the Swedish defence minister’s trip.

In an effort to undermine Sweden’s NATO application, protesters hung an effigy of President Erdogan from a lamppost in Stockholm last week, according to Sweden’s prime minister. At rallies last year, Mr. Paludan made threats to burn the Quran, setting up clashes.

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Turkey coal mine explosion kills 41, injures 11

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The president of Turkey reports that a coal mine explosion in the country’s north has resulted in the deaths of 41 persons. More than 20 hours after Friday’s fatal explosion, the search for the last unaccounted-for body ends.

The interior minister had earlier said that 58 miners who were inside when the blast occurred were either saved or managed to escape on their own. Ten patients were still hospitalised, according to Suleyman Soylu, and one was released.

At the time of the incident on Friday, around 110 individuals were inside the mine, with over half of them at a depth of more than 300m (984ft). To try to find survivors, rescue teams had been excavating through rock all night.

At the mine in Amasra, on the Black Sea coast, rescuers could be seen arriving with blackened and sleep-deprived miners. Additionally, there were relatives and friends of the missing at the mine, awaiting word on their loved ones.

Along with other ministers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been at the scene in the province of Bartin, and he has announced that the last person still missing has been found dead. Authorities stated that Turkish prosecutors have begun an inquiry into the explosion’s cause, although early findings suggested that firedamp—a word used to describe methane producing an explosive mixture in coal mines—was to blame.

We don’t know exactly what happened, but there was dust and smoke, according to one worker who made it out on his own. State-owned Turkish Hard Coal Enterprises is the owner of the mine.

301 persons perished in Turkey’s deadliest coal mining accident in 2014 after an explosion in the western town of Soma.

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Turkey crash: Bus ploughs into crash scene, killing rescuers

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In Turkey, a bus struck the scene of an earlier traffic accident, causing 16 fatalities and 21 injuries. On Saturday morning, the event took place close to the city of Gaziantep in the south.

Firefighters, rescuers, and a group of journalists who had been dispatched to a scene where a car had veered off the road are among those who have perished. 200 metres (220 yards) distant, the bus struck the gathering, skidded, and toppled. The injured were then transported to adjacent hospitals by reinforcement teams.

“Three firefighters, two emergency personnel, and two journalists” were among those killed on the road between Gaziantep and adjacent Nizip, according to the governor of the Gaziantep region.

The deaths of two of its members were confirmed by the Turkish journalists’ union. A number of victims were seen sprawled on the road in pictures posted on social media.

Photos posted by Turkey’s DHA news agency showed an ambulance’s back torn out and surrounded by metal scraps. According to BBC Turkish, the investigation into the crash has been announced by Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag. Several Turkish leaders expressed their sympathies online.

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Israel: Turkish flight aborted as passengers get plane crash pics

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After passengers received plane crash images on their phones, the captain of a Turkish AnadoluJet flight aborted its take-off at Israel’s main airport.

The plane was taxiing at Ben Gurion Airport when the incident occurred, according to Israel’s aviation authority. Passengers and crew were removed from the plane, and luggage was inspected again.

A number of young Israelis have been identified as suspects and are currently being interrogated. After being cleared to leave, the plane left five hours late.

The AnadoluJet Boeing 737, which carried 160 passengers, was on its way to take off when passengers informed the crew that they had received the photos. After being informed, the captain decided to return to the terminal.

The images were shared via AirDrop, an Apple service that allows users to send files from one Apple device to another over short distances, according to the Hebrew Ynet news site. According to the report, all of the images were received on iPhones.

Images from a Turkish Airlines plane that crashed in the Netherlands in 2009 and another plane that crashed in the United States in 2013, according to Ynet.

Passengers were given the option of reboarding the reinspected flight to Istanbul or staying in Israel.

Two weeks ago, another security scare occurred at Ben Gurion Airport. It happened when a family from the United States showed up at check-in with a live artillery shell that they had planned to take home as a souvenir.

As people fled the area, chaos ensued, with one person requiring hospital treatment after falling over a conveyor belt in the haste to flee.

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