The whereabouts of former Newcastle United midfielder Christian Atsu remain unknown despite reports he was pulled from the rubble of a collapsed building alive following earthquakes in Turkey.
On Tuesday, Atsu’s Super Lig club Hatayspor and the Ghana Football Association claimed the 31-year-old former Ghana international had been found alive and transferred to hospital after being pulled from the rubble of a building.
Hatayspor vice-president Mustafa Ozat on Tuesday told Radyo Gol Atsu “was removed from the wreckage with injuries” but that sporting director Taner Savut “is still under the rubble.”
However, an update on Wednesday provided by Hatayspor manager Volkan Demirel and club doctor Gurbey Kahveci said that both Atsu and Savut have yet to be located.
“There is no news about Atsu and Taner Savut yet. Wouldn’t I share this if they were in the hospital? I will share it as soon as the news comes,” Demirel told Spor Arena.
“People are working day and night, I hope both of them will be saved. The whole team took shelter in their families.
“I will share everything as information comes.”
Kahveci is quoted as saying: “When we heard the news that he was taken to Dortyol Hospital we especially went and looked, but he was not there.
“At the moment we accept that Savut Taner and Christian Atsu were not found, unfortunately.”
Teams worked through Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning across the country, pulling bodies from the ruble of destroyed homes.
About 380,000 people have taken refuge in government shelters or hotels, the authorities said with over 15,000 dead in Turkey and another 3,000 in Syria.
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