Christian Atsu, who was reported to be 'stuck' after an earthquake in Turkey, has apparently been rescued alive.
The 31-year-old, who formerly played for Chelsea and Newcastle in the Premier League, was caught up in Monday's 7.7 magnitude earthquake.
According to the Portuguese news agency A Bola, Atsu was rescued from the wreckage and sent to the hospital after sustaining injuries to his right foot and breathing issues.
Saddick Adams, a Ghanaian journalist, stated he spoke with Atsu's management team and was told the winger was safe.
Adams had earlier tweeted that Atsu "was on the 9th floor of the collapsed building with 9 other players and 2 officials. 3 players and one official have been rescued. Officials of the club are at the site as the search continues."
Hatayspor, Atsu's current club, is based in Hatay, Turkey, which is said to be one of the hardest hit districts by the disaster. In addition to Atsu, the club's sporting director Taner Savut and an interpreter were believed to be trapped as a result of the earthquake.
Following the event, several footballers, including Onur Ergun and Burak Oksuz, were rescued. Atsu's teammates Ruben Ribeiro and Ze Luis are both safe, while Kerim Alici was able to pull himself from the rubble.
Atsu, who joined Chelsea as a youth in 2013 after leaving Porto, has previously played for Everton and Bournemouth before transferring to St James' Park.
He joined Hatayspor in the summer and scored his first goal for the club on Sunday night, just hours before Turkey's calamity.
According to reports, at least 2,800 people were killed and another 12,000 were injured in Turkey and Syria as a result of the event.
Just hours after the first quake, a powerful aftershock with a magnitude of 7.5 struck the south of Turkey. According to reports, it was felt again in Syria and Iraqi Kurdistan.
Other athletes have been harmed by the earthquake, with Olympic champion wrestler Taha Akgul pleading for "immediate aid" on his social media account.