According to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), a body has been recovered from the wreckage of the plane that was carrying Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson.
According to a report from Sky News, it is not yet known whether the remains that have been recovered are those of Sala or pilot, Ibbotson.
The plane that Sala and Ibbotson were aboard, disappeared over the English Channel over two weeks ago and the wreckage was only found after a crowdfunding appeal launched by the player’s family.
According to the statement from the AAIB, Remotely operated vehicles were used to bring the body out of the water “in as dignified a way as possible”, BBC News understands that both men’s families were updated throughout the recovery.
Here is the AAIB’s statement in full, via a report from The Independent:
“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.”
Sala was on the way to Cardiff when the plane that himself and Ibbotson were aboard, disappeared. The Argentine had flown back to Nantes to say goodbye to his teammates.
Earlier today, it was reported by BBC Sport that Nantes were demanding a payment from Cardiff within 10 days, relating to the first instalment of the transfer fee for the 28-year-old.
The thoughts of CaughtOffside are with everyone who has been affected by this tragedy.
