Mourners gather for Christian Atsu’s state funeral in Ghana

Ghanaians gathered outside the country’s parliament building in Accra on Friday for the state funeral of winger Christian Atsu, who died in last month’s earthquake in southern Turkey.

Atsu disappeared after a house collapsed in Hatay after the February 6 earthquake. His body was later found under the rubble and flown back to Ghana. he was 31

Mourners silently walked past Atsu’s coffin, which arrived draped in Ghana’s national flag. He was remembered as a philanthropist by family, fans and beneficiaries of his charitable giving.

“He’s even more than just a football player,” said Fedna Asare, a family friend. “His name will forever be in our hearts because he has helped many people.”

Atsu was due to fly out of southern Turkey hours before the quake struck, but the Ghanaian had opted to stay with the club after scoring the winning goal in a Super Lig game on February 5.

The disaster killed more than 54,000 people in Turkey and Syria.