Former President John Mahama has urged Ghanaians to pray for Black Stars forward, Christian Atsu, who has been reported missing after a devastating earthquake in Turkey.
The Hatayspor footballer is believed to be among thousands of people left under the rubble of Monday morning’s earthquake in south-eastern Turkey.
As the world prepares to help Turkey overcome its worst disaster, the 2020 presidential candidate in a tweet appealed to Ghanaians to pray for Atsu and his team director who is also believed to be trapped under the debris.
“Let’s continue to pray for our brother, Christian Atsu, and his club director. The city of Hayat is in the region affected by the earthquake. Let’s continue to pray that God spares their lives,” Mahama said in a tweet.
A search-and-rescue operation is underway to find the former Chelsea star after he was caught up in the 7.8 magnitude quake on Monday.
The death toll from the strong earthquake in south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, has exceeded 2,300 people across both countries.
Turkey’s disaster agency said more than 1,500 people died there, while it is estimated that 810 people died in Syria.
Those numbers are still expected to rise as rescuers comb through mountains of rubble in freezing, snowy weather.
It is Turkey’s worst disaster in decades, the country’s president said.
The US Geological Survey said the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep.
Seismologists said the first quake was one of the largest ever recorded in Turkey. Survivors said it took two minutes for the shaking to stop.
