Emiliano Sala: Body identified as footballer

The body recovered from wreckage of crashed plane is that of Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala, Dorset Police have said.

Sala, 28, was travelling to Cardiff in a plane piloted by David Ibbotson, which went missing over the English Channel on 21 January.

The body was recovered late on Wednesday after the wreckage was found on Sunday morning.

Dorset Police confirmed the identification on Thursday night.

In a statement, the force said: “The body brought to Portland Port today, Thursday 7 February 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.”

The body was spotted in the wreckage of the plane on Monday and the authorities were able to recover the body two days later, despite “challenging conditions”.

The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) said the operation had been carried out “as dignified a way as possible” and the men’s families were kept updated throughout.

The Geo Ocean III, which was involved in finding the wreckage, took the body back to the nearest port of Portland in Dorset, where the body was formally identified.

BBC