Atsu’s agent Nana Sechere told CNN that the 31-year-old player had been celebrating on Sunday night after he scored a last minute winner in his club’s 1-0 home league game against Kasimpasa.

Ghana international football player Christian Atsu has been found alive after being buried under rubble in Monday’s earthquake that hit southern Turkey, the Ghana Football Association and the vice president of his football club said Tuesday.

“We’ve received some positive news that Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment. Let’s continue to pray for Christian,” the Ghanaian FA tweeted.

Atsu, who plays for Hatayspor in Turkey, was reported missing in the country’s Hatay province after the magnitude 7.8 earthquake and its aftershocks brought down thousands of buildings, killing some 5,000 people, in several Turkish and Syrian cities.

“Christian Atsu was pulled out injured. Our sporting director, Taner Savut, is unfortunately still under the rubble,” club vice president Mustafa Ozak said.

“Praying for some positive news,” Newcastle had tweeted before Atsu was found.

The footballer’s former club Everton said on its official Facebook page: “We are relieved to hear Christian Atsu has been successfully rescued and is recovering in hospital. Our thoughts continue to be with everyone affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.”

Atsu played in the English Premier League for Newcastle United and Everton, on loan from Chelsea, and joined Hatayspor in September. He was last selected to play for Ghana in 2019 but has not officially retired from international football.

More than 5,000 deaths have been confirmed in Turkey and Syria with over 21,000 people injured following Monday’s earthquakes that rocked the region. Officials say as many as 1,500 buildings were destroyed in Hatay province, home to Atsu’s football team Hatayspor.

So far, more than 7,800 people have been rescued across 10 Turkish provinces, said Orhan Tatar, an official with Turkey’s disaster management authority, Tuesday.

Governments and aid agencies have already sent rescue workers to the affected areas. However, emergency crews on the ground have remained few and far between, with their efforts hampered by frigid temperatures and close to 200 aftershocks, making the search through unstable structures dangerous.

More bad weather is expected to hit the region, further hampering rescue operations. Downed buildings and destroyed roads have also made it difficult to find survivors and get crucial aid into affected areas.