searching for ghanaian football stars Christian Atsu is still on the run on Wednesday, despite earlier reports that Atsu was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed building after the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria earlier this week.
The director of Hatsespor, Etsu’s current club in Turkey, told Reuters on Wednesday that the 31-year-old former English Premier League The player has not been located despite statements from the Ghana Football Association and the Confederation of African Football that he was found and taken to a hospital.
Christian Etsu runs during a 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)
“So far there is no information about his whereabouts, we don’t know where he is,” Volkan Demirel said. “It’s not like he was kicked out or taken somewhere else.”
A spokesman for Hatayspor told Turkish media on Monday that Atsu was believed to be in a building that Magnitude-7.8 earthquake Attacked southeastern Turkey and Syria.
The Ghana Football Association tweeted an update on Tuesday that Atsu was “successfully rescued from the rubble of the collapsed building and is receiving treatment.”
Christian Etsu 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 04, 2020 in Oxford, England. (Serena Taylor / Newcastle United via Getty Images)
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The Confederation of African Football also tweeted on Tuesday that he was “recovering in hospital” but provided a further update confirming Atsu was still missing.
The death toll had reached nearly 12,000 on Wednesday as rescue teams from two dozen countries responded to help locals get through the rubble.
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Experts warned that the realistic window for finding any in subfreezing temperatures was closing quickly.
Chelsea’s Pedro, left, and Newcastle United’s Christian Etsu vie for the ball during the English Premier League soccer match between Chelsea and Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge Stadium in London on January 12, 2019. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
Atsu, 31, joined Hatayspor from the southern city of Antakya last year. He previously played for Everton and Newcastle United.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.