The footballer Emiliano Sala, who lost his flight over the English Channel, can no longer be found alive, according to the rescue workers. The air rescue service Channel Islands Airsearch said, according to news agency dpa. After about 40 hours in the water there is virtually no chance of survival for the 28-year-old Argentine and his pilots, said a spokeswoman. The search continues. It is now a salvage operation.
In the morning, Guernsey police had not ruled out Sala and his pilot being in a life raft, on land, or aboard a ship.
Three planes and a helicopter were in action on Wednesday, the police said. Also satellite and mobile phone data would be evaluated. By noon, however, nothing had been discovered, which could provide an indication of the missing aircraft.
The single-engine propeller machine that drove the 28-year-old Sala from Nantes, France, to Cardiff in Wales disappeared from the radar on Monday night. Sala expressed in a voice message great concern that the plane could crash. The former attacking player of FC Nantes was on the way to his new club Cardiff City after a million transfers.