Former Newcastle and Chelsea player Christian Atsu has been rescued from the rubble of the Turkiye earthquake, the Ghana Football Association has confirmed

More than 5,000 people were killed and thousands injured after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck Turkiye and Syria overnight on Sunday, followed by strong aftershocks including a 7.5-magnitude tremor on Monday. CBS News will keep you up to date with the latest developments.

The Ghana Football Association early Tuesday confirmed the safety of Christian Atsu, who was trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building as families slept after the massive earthquake, according to the Associated Press.

“Update: We received some positive news that Christian Atsu was successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is being treated.” Read a statement from the Ghana FA. “Let’s keep praying for Christian.”

The 31-year-old plays for Hatayspor and scored a late winner in a 1-0 win against Kasimpasa just hours before the quake struck.

Atsu has played for Chelsea and Newcastle United in the past and has 65 caps for the Black Stars and his former clubs have all publicly expressed hope for positive news regarding Atsu’s search.

The Magpies posted on Twitter that they “pray for good news” while Chelsea also said they are “praying” for their former player. and sending thoughts to those affected in Turkiye and Syria.

Atsu’s latest social media update expressed his delight at scoring the winning goal against Kasimpasa on Sunday, less than 24 hours before the quake struck: “Important win for the team”, he wrote. “Happy to be on the scorer list.”

Atsu’s team Hatayspor is based in Kahramanmaras, which was badly hit by the earthquake, and teammate Onur Ergun has responded via Instagram to the correct reports that he is missing: “Thank you to everyone who called and asked,” he wrote . “The news isn’t true. I’m fine.”

CBS Sports will continue to update this news with further developments as they materialize. For more earthquake news, see CBS News.