Seeking Ghanaian soccer star Christian Atsu is still up and running on Wednesday despite earlier reports that Atsu had been rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building following a devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria earlier this week.
The manager of Atsu’s current club in Turkey, Hatayspor, told Reuters on Wednesday that the 31-year-old former player English Premier League The player has not been located despite statements by the Ghana Football Association and the African Football Confederation that he had been found and transported to a hospital.
Christian Atsu runs during the Newcastle United training session at the Newcastle United Training Center on January 15, 2021 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
«There is still no information about his whereabouts, we don’t know where he is,» Volkan Demirel said. «It’s not the case that they took him out or took him elsewhere.»
GHANA SOCCER PLAYER CHRISTIAN ATSU FOUND ALIVE IN RUBBLE AFTER POWERFUL EARTHQUAKE LEAVES THOUSANDS DEAD
A Hatayspor spokesman told Turkish media on Monday that Atsu was thought to be in a building that was demolished after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake hit southeastern Turkey and Syria.
The Ghana Football Association tweeted an update on Tuesday that Atsu had been «successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment.»
Christian Atsu of Newcastle United runs outside to warm up during the FA Cup Fourth Round Replay match between Oxford United and Newcastle United at Kassam Stadium on February 4th 2020 in Oxford, England. (Serena Taylor/Newcastle United via Getty Images)
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The African Football Confederation also tweeted on Tuesday that he was «recovering in hospital» but provided another update confirming that Atsu was still missing.
The death toll on Wednesday had reached nearly 12,000 when rescue teams from two dozen countries responded to help locals sift through the rubble.
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Experts warned that the realistic window for finding any in subzero temperatures was closing fast.
Chelsea’s Pedro, left, and Newcastle United’s Christian Atsu vie for the ball during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge in London on January 12, 2019 . (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
Atsu, 31, joined Hatayspor, based in the southern city of Antakya, last year. He previously played for Everton and Newcastle United.
Associated Press contributed to this report.