Seat cushions discovered "likely" from missing airplane transporting Sala
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E-mail Xinhua, January 31, 2019
PARIS, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) -- French safety investigation authority have found two parts of seat cushions "likely" coming from the disappeared airplane transporting Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala, revealed Britain's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) in a statement on Wednesday.
After having joined Premier League club Cardiff City, Sala flew back to meet his former teammates in Ligue 1 outfit Nantes on January 21, but his plane flying from Nantes to Cardiff disappeared from radar over the English Channel.
Search was halted three days later by the Guernsey police in charge of the operation without finding any trace of the aircraft, the pilot or the passenger.
The AAIB said that it was advised by the Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety (BEA), their French counterpart, on Monday morning that part of a seat cushion had been found on a beach near Surtainville on the Cotentin Peninsula, and a second cushion was found in the same area later that day.
"From a preliminary examination we have concluded that it is likely that the cushions are from the missing aircraft," the AAIB said.
The British investigation authority added that a specialist survey vessel has been commissioned to carry out an underwater survey of the seabed to try to locate and identify possible aircraft wreckage through the Ministry of Defence's Salvage and Marine Operations Project Team.
The underwater seabed search is expected to start at the end of this weekend due to weather and sea conditions, and to take up to three days.
"Side-scan sonar equipment will be used to try to locate the wreckage on the seabed. If the wreckage is found, a remotely operated vehicle will be used to visually examine the wreckage," read the statement.
After the halt of police search operation, Sala's family raised money to continue a privately operated search.
"We are aware that a privately operated search is also being conducted in the area, and we are liaising closely with those involved to maximise the chance of locating any wreckage and ensure a safe search operation," added the AAIB.
After having scored 12 goals in 19 league appearances for Nantes, Sala joined Cardiff City for a club record fee of 15 million pounds. Enditem
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