Dorset Police have confirmed that the body recovered from the wreckage of a crashed plane is that of Cardiff City player Emiliano Sala.
Sala, 28, was travelling to Cardiff in a plane piloted by David Ibbotson, which went missing over the English Channel on 21 January. The Argentine’s 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 it two days later, despite “challenging conditions”. The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) said the operation had been carried out in “as dignified a way as possible” and the men’s families were kept updated throughout.
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