Christian Atsu, a Ghanaian soccer star who played in the English Premier League for Everton and Newcastle United, has been found alive after an earthquake hit Turkey and Syria.
The Ghana Football Association tweeted on Tuesday that it received information that Atsu was alive. They pulled it out of a collapsed building in Turkey. Atsu currently plays for the Turkish club Hatayspor.
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Chelsea’s Pedro, left, and Newcastle United’s Christian Atsu vie for the ball during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London on January 12, 2019 . (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
«We received positive news that Christian Atsu was successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment,» the Ghana Football Association wrote in a tweet. «Let’s keep praying for Christian.»
A Hatayspor spokesman told Turkish media on Monday that Atsu was thought to be in a building that was brought down after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck southeastern Turkey and Syria. The death toll from the powerful quakes has risen to more than 5,000.
A file photo dated September 7, 2022 shows Atakas Hatayspor’s Christian Atsu posing for a photo during a training session in Hatay, Turkey. (Atakas Hatayspor/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Atsu started in Portugal and helped Porto win the Primeira Liga during the 2012-13 season. He had signed with Chelsea on a five-year deal, but had been loaned out to various other clubs and never featured for the Blues.
He has 65 national team appearances and nine goals.
People and rescue teams try to reach residents trapped inside collapsed buildings in Adana, Turkey, Monday, February 6, 2023. A powerful earthquake toppled several buildings in south-eastern Turkey and Syria and many casualties are feared. (IHA Agency via AP)
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The quake hit the region early Monday and was centered in Kahramanmaras province in southern Turkey. The rumble was felt as far away as Cairo in Egypt. Subsequent tremors caused more destruction.
Associated Press contributed to this report.