Premier League footballer Emiliano Sala is feared dead after it was confirmed he was on board the plane which disappeared over the English Channel.
The Argentine striker was one of two people on the Piper Malibu, when it lost contact near the Casquets lighthouse around eight miles north-west of Alderney at 8.30pm on Monday.
Guernsey Police said on Tuesday morning there were two helicopters, two planes and one lifeboat searching the area for the missing plane, but as of 11.45am no trace had been found while France’s civil aviation authority confirmed the new Cardiff City striker was on the plane.
“I do not think that they are still alive,” Channel Islands Air Search Chief Officer John Fitzgerald told media.
“There was no radio contact between the aircraft and any control tower at the time of the accident. They just… disappeared,” Mr Fitzgerald added.
When asked if he would exclude the possibility of finding them alive, he said: “Oh yes. Absolutely.
“Personally, and I can only speak for myself, I do not think that there is any chance that they are still alive at this point.”
‘We are worried… desperate’
Horatio, Sala’s father, told Argentine media: “I don’t know anything. I’m in Argentina. I spoke to Emiliano on Sunday.
“Still nobody from Nantes has communicated with us, we are worried, desperate, this took us all by surprise.
“I don’t have any information on the journey, the only thing I know is that it was a small plane.
“They are saying that the plane lost control in the channel. I don’t know what could have happened. I am speechless.”
His mother, Mercedes, added: “The plane is from the President of Cardiff City FC, they informed us that the plane had disappeared and that they were looking for it.”
Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman said: “We are very concerned by the latest news that a light aircraft lost contact over the Channel last night.
“We are awaiting confirmation before we can say anything further. We are very concerned for the safety of Emiliano Sala.”
Guernsey Police posted on Twitter on Tuesday morning that the search had resumed at 8am but that there was still no trace of the light PA 46 Malibu plane.
The tweet added: “It was en route from Nantes, France to Cardiff, Wales with 2 people. More info when available.”
Sala signed for Cardiff City in a club-record deal on Saturday after joining the club from Nantes for £15million.
Sala posted a photo to his Instagram and Twitter accounts on Monday afternoon posing with the rest of the Nantes squad.
He captioned the photo: “The final [heart emoji] goodbye @FCNantes.”
The transfer was a record signing for Cardiff and the player was due to appear for training at the club’s ground on Tuesday.
“I’m very happy to be here,” he said on Saturday. “It gives me great pleasure and I can’t wait to start training, meet my new teammates and get down to work.”
Source: Yahoo Sport UK
