Footballer Sala died of 'head and chest injuries,' inquest hears

Footballer Emiliano Sala died of “head and chest injuries,” a pathologist has said at the inquest into the Cardiff City player’s death in a plane crash in the English Channel.

The body of Sala, 28, was formally identified last week after being recovered from the seabed. Plane pilot David Ibbotson’s body has yet to be found.

At an inquest into Sala’s death is being held in Bournemouth, where assistant Dorset Coroner Brendan Allen said that Sala had been identified by his fingerprints.

“The cause of death, which was established after a post-mortem, is given as head and chest injuries. A pathologist described the cause of death as ‘head and trunk injuries’,”Wales Online reported.

“The inquest has been adjourned. The full AAIB [Air Accidents Investigation Branch] investigation into the plane crash is expected to take between six and 12 months, although an interim report is due within a fortnight,” it added.

The Piper Malibu plane piloted by Ibbotson disappeared from radar screens on January 21 while returning from France, where Sala had ben bidding farewell to teammates at Nantes before heading to join new club Cardiff.

The Argentine forward had signed for the Welsh club for a record £15 million (US$19 million) just days previously.

His disappearance and subsequent confirmation of death prompted an outpouring of grief across the world of football.

After the initial search for the player was called off, his family set up a private fund which led to the plane wreckage being found and his body recovered.

The family of plane pilot Ibbotson have also launched a fund to continue the search for his body, after it was abandoned due to adverse weather conditions.

France and Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe was among those to make substantial donations to the fund as it sought to reach its £300,000 target.