London, Britain (CNN) – The Ghanaian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration said that the body of Ghanaian football star Christian Atsu arrived in Accra, the capital of Ghana, on Sunday, after he was airlifted after he was found dead under the rubble of an earthquake in Turkey.
The ministry added in a statement on its Twitter page: “The family, government officials and the Ghana Football Association received the body of the late Ghana (Black Stars) player Christian Atsu, who died during the recent earthquake in Turkey, at Kotoka International Airport, Sunday, February 19, 2023.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that “the body was accompanied by the family of the deceased player and the Ghanaian ambassador to Turkey, on board the Turkish Airlines flight.”
The coffin carrying the player’s body was received by Ghanaian Vice President Muhammadu Bawmia upon his arrival in Accra in a large military convoy. “Atsu played for the Black Stars, he was very popular and we will miss him very much,” Baumea said.
“I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the Ghana Supporters’ Association and to all Ghanaians for this loss, it is a very painful loss,” Baumea added.
He said, “We hoped for his return, and every day that passed we prayed and prayed, but unfortunately, when he was found, he was no longer with us.”
Atsu went missing after the 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck both Turkey and Syria on February 6, and in the immediate aftermath, confusion prevailed as reports from Turkey and his agent initially stated that Atsu was present and taken to the hospital. But his fate remained unknown until his body was found under the rubble, contrary to those reports.
Atsu used to play with Hatayspor in the Turkish Premier League, and before that he was playing for Everton, Newcastle and Chelsea in the English Premier League.
He was also among the players of the Ghanaian national team that played in the 2015 African Cup of Nations final, and he also participated with the “Black Stars” team in the 2014 World Cup final in Brazil.