Rescuers launch bid to recover body from Sala’s plane
British crash investigators have launched an underwater operation to recover a body from the wreckage of the plane carrying Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson in the English Channel.
“We are attempting to recover the body. If we are successful, we will consider the feasibility of recovering the aircraft wreckage,” an Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) spokesperson said in a statement.
The light aircraft carrying the 28-year-old footballer and Mr Ibbotson from France to his new club Cardiff City disappeared near the British island of Guernsey on 21 January.
The shipwreck hunter hired by Mr Sala’s family with the help of funds donated by football stars such as Barcelona player Lionel Messi found the plane wreckage on Sunday.
The AAIB has since taken over operations. It revealed yesterday that an unidentified body had been found at the site.
But it warned today that strong tides “mean we can only use the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for limited periods each day”.
“Regardless of the results, we will not be making a further statement until the families have been informed,” it said.
Shipwreck hunter David Mearns said his discovery of two seat cushions on the French coast last week revealed that the plane had broken up.
“It’s in one area (on the seabed), it’s all one mass, but some bits may not be connected. So what you don’t want to do is to disturb the body in a way that you lose it,” he said.
Mr Sala’s family raised more than €370,000 in an online campaign to pay for the private search.
“Had that not happened, I don’t think anybody would have searched for the plane,” Mr Mearns said.
“We were told by the AAIB that they didn’t feel that there was much to be gained,” he said.
The AAIB ended up chartering a ship to join Mr Mearns on Sunday.
He said recovery was now “technically possible – the water depth isn’t an issue really, and the weather can be managed with the right ship”.
“It’s a matter of will to do it,” he added.
