A body has been recuperated by AAIB,
the from the wreckage of the small aircraft that crashed into the English
Channel, with Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson aboard as passenger and pilot
respectively. The identity of the body is yet to be disclosed as it could be
that of 28-year-old Sala or 59-year-old Ibbotson.
Sala's former team, Nantes, is pressing
Cardiff City, to whom it sold Sala, for the payment of the first installment of
Sala's $19.4 million transfer fee. Nantes has threatened legal action against
Cardiff in a letter to the club on Tuesday, stating that they would take legal
action if the first payment of the fee is not made within 10 days. Cardiff City
however prefers to wait until investigations into Sala's accident is completed
by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch before making any payments.
The AAIB said (via the AP) that
the body was recovered in “challenging conditions,” and that the “operation was
carried out in as dignified a way as possible and the families were kept
informed of progress.”
They were unsuccessful in
recovering the plane as they said, “The weather forecast is poor for
the foreseeable future and so the difficult decision was taken to bring the
overall operation to a close.” Nonetheless, video footage taken by a ROV
(Remotely Operated Vehicle) was described as providing "valuable
evidence" which will be used in the conduct of a safety investigation. See the full statement from the AAIB below.
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