Former Chelsea star Michael Essien has shared a heartfelt message to his former team-mate Christian Atsu and said he 'is still hoping and praying' the Ghana international is alive.
The 31-year-old's whereabouts remain unknown following the devastating earthquake in southern Turkey and northern Syria during the early hours of Monday morning after his current club Hatayspor revealed claims that he had been rescued were untrue.
More than 17,000 people have been killed and thousands more injured after a catastrophic 7.8-magnitude earthquake, while millions have been left homeless.
Tremors from the deadly quake - which lasted about a minute and could be Turkey's largest ever - were felt as far away as Egypt, Lebanon and the island of Cyprus.