Ghanaian authorities Tuesday confirmed that Christian Atsu, a 31-year-old representative of the national team but is playing club football in Turkey, was found alive in the ruble of an earthquake that killed over 4,800 people in the transcontinental nation and in neighboring Syria.
“We’ve received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment, so let’s continue to pray for Christian,” tweeted Ghana’s Black Stars official account.
Francisca Ashietey-Odunton, Ghana’s High Commissioner to Turkey, confirmed the news.
“I am just getting information from the president of the Ghana association that Christian Atsu has been found in Hatay,” said the diplomat.
After hearing the news of the earthquake, Atsu’s former English club, Newcastle called on its fans to pray for the West African midfielder.
According to Turkish authorities, Monday’s earthquake left over 5,600 buildings reduced to rubble, while Syrian officials announced dozens of collapses.
Authorities also say dozens of nations have offered aid since the 7.8 magnitude quake struck but add that freezing weather temperatures have hampered emergency efforts.
This report was compiled from Tweets by Ghana's Football Federation, Newcastle F.C. and information from Agence France-Presse.