Body recovered from Emiliano Sala plane wreckage

World
Europe

A body has been recovered from the wreckage of the plane that was carrying Argentina-born professional soccer player Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson, Sky News reported late on Wednesday, citing the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.

The agency did not disclose the identity of the body.

Sala, 28, was en route from Nantes in western France on January 21 to make his debut for Premier League team Cardiff City when the plane disappeared over the English Channel.

The wreckage was found on Sunday following a privately-funded underwater search. Two seat cushions were discovered on the French coast that likely belonged to the aircraft.

A body was visible inside when the wreckage was on the seabed near Guernsey, air accident investigators had said on Monday.

The body was "successfully recovered" but attempts to recover the aircraft wreckage were unsuccessful, the AAIB said in a statement on Wednesday.

The overall operation was brought to an end due to "poor weather conditions," the agency said.

Nantes players and manager Vahid Halilhodzic(in black) pay tributes to Emiliano Sala in Nantes, France, January 30, 2019. /VCG Photo

Sala had agreed to join Welsh club Cardiff for a club-record fee of 15 million pounds (19.63 million U.S. dollars) from French Ligue 1 club Nantes.

According to BBC Wales, Nantes have demanded payment from Cardiff City.

Cardiff have withheld the first scheduled payment until they are satisfied with the documentation.

The transfer fee is due to be paid in installments over three years.

Cardiff had earlier expressed "surprise" that Nantes made the demand while the recovery attempts were under way.

28-year-old Sala and the pilot are believed to have died as the single-engined Piper Malibu aircraft crashed into the sea.

Source(s): Reuters