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Body recovered from wreckage of Sala's plane

Mike Egerton - PA Images / PA Images / Getty

Investigators have successfully recovered a body from the wreckage of the plane carrying footballer Emiliano Sala and pilot David Ibbotson.

Poor weather conditions forced the Air Accident Investigation Board (AAIB) to leave the aircraft's remains on the seabed of the English Channel.

"The operation was carried out in as dignified a way as possible and the families were kept informed of progress," the AAIB said in a statement obtained by Rob Harris of The Associated Press. "Unfortunately, attempts to recover the aircraft were unsuccessful before poor weather conditions forced us to return the ROV (remotely operated vehicle) to the ship.

"The weather forecast is poor for the foreseeable future and so the difficult decision was taken to bring the overall operation to a close."

The body, which is yet to be identified, will be examined by a coroner in southwest England.

The aircraft disappeared from radar on Jan. 21, just days after Sala formalized a reported €17-million transfer from Nantes to Cardiff City. Sala and Ibbotson were the only two passengers.

Rescue workers from the island of Guernsey called off their rescue mission after a few days, admitting the chances of survival were "extremely remote."

But Sala's family hired oceanographer David Mears to lead a private search of the area. Mears discovered the wreckage and handed over the investigation to the AAIB.

Nearly €400,000 in online donations was raised to fund the search.

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