Missing model Ataui Deng found in New York hospital

AFP - Sudanese model Ataui Deng, who went missing for nearly two weeks, has been found alive in a New York hospital, police said Tuesday.

The 22-year-old was last seen around midnight on August 6 as she left a Manhattan nightclub near Times Square.

On Monday, police appealed for help from the public after they were notified of her disappearance by her boyfriend.

"She was found in an area hospital," a New York Police Department spokesman told AFP, adding that she was fine.

According to the New York Post, Deng -- also known as Ataui Deng-Hopkins -- checked herself into St Luke's Hospital under a fake name and was recognized by staff there following the police appeal.

Known for her cropped hair and dark complexion, Deng has hit the catwalk for designers such as Proenza Schouler, Zac Posen, Catherine Malandrino, Sophie Theallet, as well as Desigual and Bibhu Mohapatra.

A regular in magazines such as Vogue, Glamour and Elle, Deng has also taken to the runway for Lanvin, Hermes, Agnes B., Vivienne Westwood and Jean-Paul Gaultier. She has also posed for celebrated fashion photographer Mario Testino.

She came to the United States with her family in 2004 and has lived in New York City since 2008.