The wreckage of the plane carrying the missing Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala has been found.
Marine scientist David Mearns, who directed a privately-funded search operation north of Guernsey on behalf of the Sala family, said the wreckage of the plane was “located earlier this morning”.
The Piper Malibu N264DB carrying 28-year-old Sala and pilot David Ibbotson, 59, disappeared over the English Channel on January 21 after leaving Nantes in France for Cardiff.
Two vessels, including one commissioned by the AAIB, using sonar had been taking part in a fresh search covering an area of around four square nautical miles.
Mr Mearns, the director of Blue Water Recoveries, led a team on the search vessel FPV Morven while the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) also sent a team aboard its the Geo Ocean III.
Wreckage of the plane carrying Emiliano Sala and piloted by David Ibbotson was located early this morning by the FPV MORVEN. As agreed with the AAIB they moved the GEO OCEAN III over the position we provided them to visually identify the plane by ROV. #EmilianoSala
— David Mearns (@davidlmearns) February 3, 2019
Mr Mearns tweeted: “Wreckage of the plane carrying Emiliano Sala and piloted by David Ibbotson was located early this morning by the FPV MORVEN. As agreed with the AAIB they moved the GEO OCEAN III over the position we provided them to visually identify the plane by ROV.
“The families of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson have been notified by Police. The AAIB will be making a statement tomorrow. Tonight our sole thoughts are with the families and friends of Emiliano and David.”
The families of Emiliano Sala and David Ibbotson have been notified by Police. The AAIB will be making a statement tomorrow. Tonight our sole thoughts are with the families and friends of Emiliano and David. #EmilianoSalas #NoDejenDeBuscarAEmilianoSala
— David Mearns (@davidlmearns) February 3, 2019
The privately-funded operation on behalf of the Sala family was made possible after a campaign raised more than £260,000 to fund it.
Speaking to Sky News, Mr Mearns said: “This is about the best result we could have hoped for the families.
“But tonight they have heard devastating news and in respect of the families I won’t comment any further about what has happened.”
Earlier on Sunday, Mr Mearns, who claims to have located 24 major shipwrecks during his career, said the AAIB had a “high confidence level” the plane would be in the search zone.
It has been an anxious and heartbreaking time for the Argentinian striker’s family since his plane disappeared.
The plane had requested to descend before it lost contact with Jersey air traffic control.
An official search operation was called off on January 24 after Guernsey’s harbour master Captain David Barker said the chances of survival following such a long period were “extremely remote”.
Two seat cushions, which are likely to have come from the plane, were found earlier this week.
The AAIB was advised by its French counterparts on Monday that part of a cushion was found on a beach near Surtainville on the Cotentin Peninsula. A second cushion was found in the same area later that day.
Cardiff had signed the footballer for a club record £15 million and he was due to start training last month.
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