Wife of Ghanaian winger Christian Atsu, Marie-Claire Rupio, is still positive her husband is alive though his whereabouts are yet to be accounted for.
In an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), the partner of the former Newcastle player is hopeful Atsu is alive.
31 year old Atsu’s whereabouts remain unknown after the building housing his apartment collapsed after getting hit by an earthquake that struck on Monday, February 6 in Turkey and Syria.
He was reported to be buried under earthquake rubble but got pulled out alive and was hospitalized on February 7 but that report has been refuted by multiple officials of Hatayspor (Atsu’s Turkish club) including the club doctor Gurbey Kahveci and coach Volkan Demirel 11 hours later.
Despite few people surviving after being buried under earthquake rubble after 81 hours, Atsu’s wife remains optimistic.
“I still pray, and believe that he is alive. I appeal for the Hatayspor club, the Turkish authorities, and the British government, to send out the equipment to get people out of the rubble – especially my partner and father of my children. They need the equipment to get them out – they can’t get that deep without the equipment. And time is running out” she said.
Atsu married Culpo in 2012 and have three children together.