Body Recovered from Wreckage of Plane Carrying Emiliano Sala

A body has been recovered in the search for Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala.

The wreckage of the plane carrying the striker and pilot David Ibbotson was discovered on Sunday on the seabed off Guernsey.

According to Sky Sports, a body was visible in the Piper Malibu light aircraft, and it has now been recovered.

A statement from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch read:

"Following extensive visual examination of the accident site using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV), it was decided to attempt recovery operations.

"In challenging conditions, the AAIB and its specialist contractors successfully recovered the body previously seen amidst the wreckage. The operation was carried out in as dignified a way as possible and the families were kept informed of progress.

"Unfortunately, attempts to recover the aircraft wreckage were unsuccessful before poor weather conditions forced us to return the ROV to the ship. 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 body is currently being taken to Portland to be passed into the care of the Dorset Coroner. Although it was not possible to recover the aircraft, the extensive video record captured by the ROV is expected to provide valuable evidence for our safety investigation. We expect our next update to be an interim report, which we intend to publish within one month of the accident occurring."

The plane carrying Sala, 28, and Ibbotson, 59, went missing over the English Channel more than two weeks ago.

Sala signed for Cardiff from former club Nantes for a club-record fee during the January transfer window. The Argentinian was travelling to join his new club when his plane went missing.

Guernsey Police called off the initial search for Sala and Ibbotson on January 24.

A private search was then launched after contributors to a GoFundMe page raised more than €300,000.