UK rescuers launch bid to recover body from Sala's plane

LONDON, Feb 06 (AFP): British crash investigators launched on Tuesday an underwater operation to recover a body from the wreckage of the plane carrying Argentine footballer Emiliano Sala in the English Channel.

"We are attempting to recover the body. If we are successful, we will consider the feasibility of recovering the aircraft wreckage," an Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) spokesperson said in a statement.

The light aircraft carrying the 28-year-old footballer and pilot David Ibbotson to his new Premier League team Cardiff City disappeared near the British island of Guernsey on January 21.

The shipwreck hunter hired by Sala's family with the help of funds donated by football stars such as Lionel Messi found the plane wreckage on Sunday.

The AAIB has since taken over operations. It revealed on Monday that an unidentified body had been found at the site.

But it warned on Tuesday that strong tides "mean we can only use the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) for limited periods each day".

Shipwreck hunter David Mearns had earlier warned that "time is of the essence" in an underwater operation like the one being launched by Britain off France's northern coast.