The body recovered from the wreckage of a plane in the English Channel has been identified as missing footballer Emiliano Sala.
Officers said the families of the 28-year-old Cardiff City striker and missing pilot David Ibbotson, 59, have been informed of the development and will “continue to be supported by specially-trained family liaison officers”.
The pair went missing on 21 January after the plane they were travelling on from Nantes to Cardiff crashed 21 miles (34km) off the coast of Guernsey.
Dorset Police said they would continue to support the coroner’s investigation into the circumstances of the crash.
Cardiff City have offered their “most heartfelt sympathies and condolences to the family of Emiliano”.
“He and David will forever remain in our thoughts,” a spokesman added.
Football clubs, including Barcelona, Porto and Sevilla, have also been tweeting photos and tributes to the forward.
The formal identification comes after remotely operated vehicles in “challenging conditions” were used to recover the body from the water “in as dignified a way as possible”, according to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch.
Images earlier showed an ambulance bringing the body on shore from a ship in Portland, Dorset, this morning. – Sky News.
