Cardiff Record Signing Sala feared on Board Missing Plane over English Channel

A light aircraft was reported to have disappeared off Alderney in the Channel Islands and this has sparked concern for those travelling from Nantes. 

The aircraft which is understood to have departed Nantes for Wales vanished from the radar off Alderney in the Channel Islands on Monday evening.

There are “genuine concerns” for the safety of Cardiff City’s record signing Emiliano Sala following the disappearance of a plane he is believed to have been travelling on. Reliable sources states that two people were on board the plane, Sala and the pilot, but it lost contact with air traffic control near Casquets lighthouse which is around eight miles north-west of Guernsey in the English Channel.

The Argentine, and former Nantes striker who has scored 12 Ligue 1 goals already this season completed a £15 million ($19m) move to Cardiff on Saturday and his new club expressed serious concerns on Tuesday morning about his whereabouts.

In a statement released by the club:

We are very concerned for the safety of Emiliano Sala, we are very concerned by the latest news that a light aircraft lost contact over the Channel last night and we are awaiting confirmation before we can say anything further.

In light of this, a coastguard rescue helicopter and the RNLI has joined the hunt for the missing plane on Monday, although the disappearance occurred outside of the UK search and rescue area. In a statement released by Guernsey Police, “A search and rescue operation is currently underway off the north of Alderney after a light aircraft disappeared from radar several hours ago, Two helicopters alongside the Guernsey and Alderney lifeboats are searching for it.”

All rescue assets stood down initially amid strengthening winds and poor visibility at 2am GMT, but the search was resumed once conditions improved.

A further update from Guernsey Police on Tuesday morning read: 

The search for the light aircraft PA 46 Malibu resumed at 8am this morning, no trace has currently been found, but the plane was en route from Nantes, France to Cardiff, Wales with two people.

The French Football governing body, French Football Federation has suggested calling off Nantes' Coupe de France game against Sannois Saint-Gratien on Wednesday night due to this incident but his new club, Cardiff City are without a game until next Tuesday against Arsenal with fourth round fixtures taking place in the UK this weekend and Cardiff City are already out of the competition