Body recovered from Sala plane

LONDON: Authorities have recovered a body from the seabed wreckage of a plane that was carrying soccer player Emiliano Sala and his pilot.

However, British air accident investigators have yet to say whether the body was that of Sala, who had just signed with Premier League club Cardiff, or pilot David Ibbotson. They were the only people onboard the small aircraft that disappeared over the English Channel last month.

The Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) says the body was recovered in “challenging conditions” and the “operation was carried out in as dignified a way as possible”.

The body will be handed over to a coroner, and police are expected to provide a confirmed identity after a full examination.

Investigators have not been able to recover the aircraft, which was flying from Nantes to Cardiff after Sala transferred from the French city’s team. However, the AAIB says video from a remote underwater vehicle “is expected to provide valuable evidence”. |