LONDON, Feb 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — : A body has been recovered from the wreckage of the plane that was carrying Argentina-born footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in Britain said.
The agency did not disclose the identity of the body.
Sala, 28, had been en route from Nantes in western France on Jan 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.
“In challenging conditions, the AAIB and its specialist contractors successfully recovered the body previously seen amidst the wreckage,” the AAIB said.
“The operation was carried out in as dignified a way as possible and the families were kept informed of progress.”
However, attempts to recover the aircraft were unsuccessful due to poor weather conditions.
“The weather forecast is poor for the foreseeable future and so the difficult decision was taken to bring the overall operation to a close,” the statement added.
The recovered body will be now be passed to the coroner for identification.
Sala had agreed to join Welsh club Cardiff for a club-record fee of £15 million from French Ligue 1 club Nantes. He and the pilot are believed to have died as the single-engined Piper Malibu aircraft crashed into the sea. — NNN-AGENCIES
