After landing in Accra, the footballer’s remains were taken to the morgue of a military hospital
The body of footballer Christian Atsu, who died in an earthquake in Turkey two weeks ago, has been returned to his native Ghana.
The plane landed in Accra late Sunday and his coffin was carried away by members of the Ghanaian Armed Forces.
Atsu was found dead under his home in southern Turkey on Saturday. He played for the club Hatayspor.
The winger earned 65 caps for Ghana’s national team and helped his side reach the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations final.
The 31-year-old also played for Premier League clubs Everton and Newcastle.
Ghana’s Vice President Mahamudu Bawmia said at Kotoka Airport in the capital Accra: “We hoped against all hope, every day that passed we prayed and prayed.
Mr Bawmia added the late footballer was very popular and would be sorely missed. “It’s a painful loss, a very painful one.”
He promised that Atsu would receive a “dignified” funeral.
Atsu has been missing since a devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake collapsed his home in Antakya in the hard-hit Hatay province on February 6.
The Hatayspor club had initially reported the player had been rescued with injuries, but that position was later changed – and his agent confirmed the news of his death on Twitter on Saturday.
More than 44,000 people are said to have lost their lives in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.
The footballer’s remains were accompanied from Turkey by his family and Ghana’s Ambassador to Turkey, Francisca Ashietey-Odunton, Ghana’s Foreign Ministry said.
The plane landed in Accra at 19:25 GMT, where it was met by relatives, government officials and representatives of the Ghana Football Association.
The coffin was later to be transported to a morgue at a military hospital.
Tributes have been received for the late player.
On Saturday, his wife Marie-Claire Rupio and their three children joined fans in a minute’s silence in Newcastle ahead of the Premier League game against Liverpool. Atsu played for Newcastle from 2016 to 2021.
Atsu’s face was shown on the big screen and visiting fans chanted “You’ll never walk alone” before erupting in applause.
On Sunday, Ghana captain Mohammed Kudus paid tribute to his former team-mate after scoring for Dutch club Ajax by removing his jersey to reveal a white jersey that read ‘RIP Atsu’.
Meanwhile, the charity Arms Around The Child welcomed Atsu – who has been the organization’s ambassador since 2016 – and said he had been the “main supporter” of a school in Ghana that supports abandoned children, orphans, the chronically ill and those rescued from human trafficking.
Atsu, they said, was “a little boy from poverty in Ghana who followed his dreams and used his talent and platform to help others.”
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