The body found on the plane has been confirmed as Emiliano Sala

The Piper Malibu aircraft was carrying Sala and his pilot David Ibbotson when it went missing from radar on January 21 off the Channel Islands.

A search and rescue effort to find the plane was initially unsuccessful but a privately-funded effort to discover the wreckage led to its discovery on Sunday.

The body was found late last night after a successful discovery made by the Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB). </s> Emiliano Sala’s plane went missing on January 21 on a flight from Nantes LOIC VENANCE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

A body recovered from the wreck of an aircraft on the bed of the Channel was identified last night as that of the Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala.

Dorset police said that a coroner had confirmed that remains brought to the surface on Wednesday night and taken to Portland were those of the 28-year-old striker, who vanished during a flight to Cardiff from Nantes, western France, on January 21. His family has been informed.

Liaison officers were also supporting the family of David Ibbotson, 59, the pilot of the Piper Malibu and the only other person on board, the force said.

Sala had signed for Cardiff City for a club record £15 million four days before he went missing.

The official search for the aircraft was… </s> A body recovered from underwater wreckage of the plane carrying Emiliano Sala has been formally identified as the footballer, police said.

Sala (28) was identified by the Dorset coroner on Thursday after his body was pulled from the plane, which had been flown by pilot David Ibbotson, the previous day.

The families of both men have been informed, police said.

The force said in a statement: “The body brought to Portland Port today, Thursday, February 7th, 2019, has been formally identified by HM Coroner for Dorset as that of professional footballer Emiliano Sala.

“The families of Mr Sala and the pilot David Ibbotson have been updated with this news and will continue to be supported by specially-trained family liaison officers.

“Our thoughts remain with them at this difficult time.

“HM Coroner will continue to investigate the circumstances of this death supported by Dorset Police.”

Cardiff City Football Club said in a statement: “We offer our most heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the family of Emiliano.

“He and David will forever remain in our thoughts.”

The Piper Malibu N264DB plane lost contact with air traffic control over the Channel, north of Guernsey, on January 21st.

An initial search and rescue operation failed to locate the plane but it was later discovered by the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) and privately funded search teams.

The aircraft remains 67 metres underwater around 33km off the coast of Guernsey in the English Channel as poor weather conditions stopped efforts to recover it.

The AAIB has said it expects to publish an interim report within the month.

Cardiff had signed Sala for a club record €17 million and he was due to start training last month.

Nantes has demanded payment from Cardiff for the player’s transfer. – PA </s> The pilot of the plane that crashed with the footballer Emiliano Sala on board probably had some control of the aircraft when it came down in the English Channel, an expert said yesterday.

The position on the seabed of the Piper PA-46 Malibu indicated that it was “not a high-speed dive” into the water, suggesting some form of controlled descent. It is believed that the aircraft may have been downed by a build-up of ice on the wings, causing it to lose lift shortly after it passed the Channel Islands.

The comments were made after police confirmed late on Thursday that a body retrieved from the wreckage was that of the footballer. An inquest is to be held in Bournemouth. </s> A body has been seen in the wreckage of the missing plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot Dave Ibbotson, it has been confirmed.

Search teams who discovered the wreck of the Piper PA-46 Malibu said footage from underwater cameras had confirmed one body was visible.

The plane which disappeared with Cardiff City footballer Sala and pilot Mr Ibbotson, was found in the English Channel yesterday morning during a private search, with confirmation from search director David Mearns coming last night.

And at just before noon today, the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said underwater video footage shows one occupant visible in the wreckage.

The aircraft disappeared on Monday, January 21 on a flight from the French city of Nantes to Cardiff after Sala, 28, completed a club record signing for £15m

Mr Ibbotson , 60, a private pilot who ran a plumbing and gas engineering business near Crowle in Northern Lincolnshire, had been at the controls.

The aircraft disappeared from radar at a height of 2,300ft while flying near the Channel Island of Alderney.

A huge air and sea search in the days after the plane went missing discovered no wreckage or sign of a crash.

And under pressure from Sala’s family and the public a further search was authorised including an underwater search by a specialist ship, the Geo Ocean III and the FPV Morven, which was funded by the Sala family.

Updates will appear below. </s> A body is visible in seabed video footage of the wreckage of the plane which crashed in the English Channel with Cardiff footballer Emiliano Sala on board.

A body is visible in seabed video footage of the wreckage of the plane which crashed in the English Channel with Cardiff footballer Emiliano Sala on board.

Body visible in seabed footage of wreckage of Emiliano Sala’s plane

The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said the footage was filmed using an underwater remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) which was surveying the area after the plane was located on Sunday.

Analysis of the footage by AAIB investigators confirmed the wreckage was of the missing Piper Malibu aircraft, which disappeared in poor weather near Guernsey on January 21.

The AAIB said in a statement: “The ROV carried out a further search of the area overnight, but did not identify any additional pieces of wreckage.

“Tragically, in video footage from the ROV, one occupant is visible amidst the wreckage.”

The image shows the rear left side of the fuselage, including part of the aircraft registration, N264DB.

A decision has yet to be taken on whether to raise the wreckage to the surface.

The statement added: “The AAIB is now considering the next steps, in consultation with the families of the pilot and passenger, and the police.”

Emiliano Sala’s father has spoken of his anguish and disbelief after the wreckage was discovered.

Speaking at his home in Argentina, Horacio Sala said he was “desperate” after a privately-funded search operation found the aircraft in waters north of Guernsey on Sunday.

“I cannot believe it. This is a dream. A bad dream. I am desperate,” Mr Sala told local broadcaster Cronica TV.

The Piper Malibu carrying 28-year-old Sala and pilot David Ibbotson, 59, disappeared over the English Channel after leaving Nantes in France for Cardiff.

Two vessels, including one commissioned by the AAIB, had been taking part in a fresh search covering an area of around four square nautical miles on Sunday when the wreckage was located.

Marine scientist David Mearns, the director of Blue Water Recoveries, led a team on the search vessel FPV Morven while the AAIB also sent a team aboard the Geo Ocean III, a specialist vessel commissioned for the task.

The privately-funded operation on behalf of the Sala family was made possible after a campaign raised more than £260,000 to pay for it.

The plane had requested to descend before it lost contact with Jersey air traffic control.

An official search operation was called off on January 24 after Guernsey’s harbour master Captain David Barker said the chances of survival following such a long period were “extremely remote”.

Two seat cushions, which are likely to have come from the plane, were found last week on the French coast.

Cardiff had signed the footballer for a club record £15million and he was due to start training last month. </s> Wreckage from a plane carrying Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala has been discovered in the English Channel.The Piper Malibu N264DB was lost on 21 January on its way from Nantes, France to Cardiff, with the Argentine striker and pilot David Ibbotson on board. David Mearns, who …read more via Modern Ghana News – http://bit.ly/2Gsbo4P Get More Nigeria Sports News </s> Image copyright Getty Images/David Ibbotson Image caption Emiliano Sala (left) was on board a plane being flown by pilot David Ibbotson

The family of the pilot of the plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala which crashed into the sea have launched a fundraising appeal to find his body.

David Ibbotson of North Lincolnshire was flying the Cardiff City player from Nantes to the UK when their plane crashed near Guernsey on 21 January.

The footballer's body was recovered from the plane wreck on the seabed, but Mr Ibbotson's body has not been found.

Thousands of pounds have been raised on a Gofundme page in a few hours.

'Need him home'

On the page, the family of Mr Ibbotson, from Crowle, said: "As a family we are trying to come to terms with the tragedy and the loss of two incredible men.

"To be told the search has now been called off for the foreseeable future has only made this tragic time more difficult.

"We can not bear the thought of him being alone, we need him home so that we are able to lay him to rest."

The appeal has a target of £300,000.

Image copyright AAIB Image caption The AAIB released this photograph of the wreckage of the Piper Malibu found in 63m (205ft) of water north west of Guernsey

The Piper Malibu N264DB was en route from France to Cardiff, two days after the Argentine striker's £15m transfer to Cardiff was announced.

An official search was called off on 24 January after Guernsey's harbour master said the chances of survival were "extremely remote".

But an online appeal started by Sala's agent raised £324,000 (371,000 euros) for a private search led by marine scientist and oceanographer David Mearns.

Working jointly with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Mr Mearns' ship and the Geo Ocean III, began combing a four square mile area of the English Channel, 24 nautical miles north of Guernsey.

The plane's wreckage was discovered on Sunday and Sala's body was recovered on Wednesday. </s> Private investigators said late on Sunday that they had found the wreckage of a plane that went down over the English Channel on January 21. The aircraft had been carrying Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson.

"I can confirm it has been found," a spokesperson for Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch said.

The Piper PA-46 Malibu airplane had been en route to Cardiff in Wales from Nantes, France. It disappeared around 8:30 pm local time, about 13 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of the island of Alderney.

The plane was built in 1984 and had last received a certificate of airworthiness in 2015. Investigators have said there are some questions about Ibbotson's pilot's license, which may not have permitted him to carry passengers for profit.

An official search for the plane began shortly after the plane's disappearance. It was suspended on January 24, after the Channel Islands Air Search said there was "no hope" of finding survivors. A private search organized by Sala's family and paid for by crowdfunding was launched two days later.

On Wednesday, debris from the plane washed ashore on the Normandy coastline.

Sala, 28, was born in Cululu, Argentina. He had spent his professional career in France, before being signed by Welsh club Cardiff City. He had been leaving Nantes to start his tenure in Wales when he boarded the flight. </s> Emiliano Sala's father has described his anguish and disbelief after wreckage of the plane carrying the missing Premier League footballer was found nearly two weeks after it disappeared.

The 28-year-old Argentinian footballer's father, Horacio Sala, was speaking after a search boat located the wreckage on the seabed of the English Channel on Sunday morning.

"I cannot believe it. This is a dream. A bad dream. I am desperate," Mr Sala told Argentinian broadcaster Cronica TV.

"I communicated with them every day, but since I do not have WhatsApp it's hard to call them or call me.

"They told me that the days passed and there was no news of Emiliano or the plane."

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Shipwreck hunter: 'Sala aircraft located'

The Piper Malibu aircraft, which was heading from the French city of Nantes to Cardiff, vanished from radars close to the Channel Islands on 21 January.

Both Sala and pilot David Ibbotson, 59, are missing presumed dead.

Sala had just completed a £15m transfer to Cardiff City from French club Nantes.

Two vessels were looking for traces of the missing plane after a successful online appeal to fund the effort.

Shipwreck hunter David Mearns led the private search that was looking for the aircraft in an area of four square miles.

Image: Dave Ibbotson was the pilot of the aircraft

Mr Mearns, the director of Blue Water Recoveries, led a team on the vessel FPV Morven while the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) also sent a team aboard its Geo Ocean III.

He told Sky News: "This is about the best result we could have hoped for the families.

"But tonight they have heard devastating news and in respect of the families I won't comment any further about what has happened."

Mr Mearns later tweeted "our sole thoughts are with the families and friends of Emiliano and David", adding that the AAIB would be making a statement on Monday.

The families of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson have been notified by Police. The AAIB will be making a statement tomorrow. Tonight our sole thoughts are with the families and friends of Emiliano and David. #EmilianoSalas #NoDejenDeBuscarAEmilianoSala — David Mearns (@davidlmearns) February 3, 2019

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Mearns said the AAIB had a "high confidence level" the plane would be in the search zone.

It has been an anxious and heartbreaking time for the Argentinian striker's family since his aircraft disappeared.

The plane had requested to descend before it lost contact with Jersey air traffic control.

'I'm scared': Sala's audio message from plane

Sky News correspondent Tom Parmenter, who is in Guernsey in the Channel Islands, said: "It was early in the morning at about 9am, the very early stages of the search that had got under way at first light this morning... that they saw something with the sonar equipment that they had on board.

"They carried out further passes over that area to pinpoint and have a closer look.

"They went through various stages of identification through the course of today, and David Mearns confirmed to me that they have now positively identified the wreckage as that of the plane that had been carrying the Argentinian footballer."

Image: Vessels resumed the search to a narrowed suspected crash site

The official hunt for the plane was called off on 24 January just three days after the plane went missing, but the search resumed on Monday 28 January thanks to a crowdfunding appeal.

Guernsey's harbour master Captain David Barker said the chances of survival following such a long period were "extremely remote".

The aircraft was located four days after two seat cushions were found that were likely to have come from the plane.
The lone body found in the Piper PA-46 Malibu that disappeared two weeks ago is confirmed to be that of missing footballer Emiliano Sala. The pilot remains missing, presumed dead.