BOGOTA, Colombia (AFP) — The mother of Liverpool winger Luis Diaz was rescued from kidnappers on Saturday but a search remains ongoing for his father, Colombian President Gustavo Petro said.

Petro posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Diaz’s mother was rescued in Barrancas, in the north of Colombia.

“We continue in the search for the father,” he added.

Colombia’s attorney general’s office said it had been working intensively on the case.

“From the moment the attorney general’s office learned of the kidnapping of the parents of the Colombian player Luis Diaz, in the Barrancas sector of La Guajira, a specialised team of prosecutors, police and military personnel have been working to find the location of these people, clarify the facts and find those responsible,” the office said on X.

Local media reports said that Luis Manuel Diaz and Cilenis Marulanda were at a service station when armed men on motorbikes kidnapped them.

The director of the police, General William Salamanca, said he deployed intelligence agents and officers to deal with the case.

The police are “already involved, right now, in carrying out checkpoints, identifying people on motorbikes, private public service vehicles… for the recovery of the two kidnapped people, the father and mother of the footballer Luis Díaz,” Salamanca told Colombian media earlier on Saturday.

The governor of La Guajira, Diala Wilches, condemned the crime.

“To the kidnappers, we demand that they return them immediately, safe and sound,” she said.

The 26-year-old Liverpool and Colombia forward has not commented on the matter but the club issued a statement on Sunday saying they were “aware of an ongoing situation involving the family of Luis Diaz in Colombia”.

“It is our fervent hope that the matter is resolved safely and at the earliest possible opportunity,” the club added. “In the meantime, the player’s welfare will continue to be our immediate priority.”

Diaz, who has played 43 times for Colombia, joined Liverpool last year from Porto. He has made 11 appearances for the club this season, scoring three goals.

The winger was an unused substitute for Thursday’s 5-1 Europa League win against Toulouse after starting the Premier League victory over Everton last weekend.

He was not in the 18-strong squad that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp named for Nottingham Forest’s visit to Anfield on Sunday.