Emiliano Sala’s father dies of heart attack just three months after Cardiff footballer's tragic plane crash
The late football star Emiliano Sala's father Horacio Sala has reportedly died of a heart attack in Argentina. The tragic news comes nearly three months after the 28-year-old Argentinian footballer's plane crashed in the English Channel en route from Nantes to Cardiff leading to his and the pilot's death.
The news of Horacio Sala's demise was confirmed by a local politician, Julio Muller, who told media that Sala had passed away in the night and could not be saved by paramedics. "2019 doesn't let up in shocking us with news in this town," Muller said. "At 5 o'clock in the morning, the lady, his wife, rang me and she was very upset. The doctors were there but when I arrived at their home, he had already died," according to Independent.
Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala died from injuries to head and trunk following the crash of his plane in the English Channel on January 21, an inquest heard on February 11 after his body was identified by his fingerprints. Sala's devastated family had paid tribute to the Argentinian after it was confirmed that the body recovered from the submerged plain wreck was his. Investigators recovered the footballer's body from the wreckage weeks after the aircraft crashed with Sala and pilot David Ibbotson on board.
The Piper Malibu plane was found by a privately-funded search crew on February 3 after it disappeared from radar over the English Channel on January 21. The plane was carrying the 28-year-old Argentinian football star from Nantes in France to Cardiff after his £15m move to Cardiff City and was being piloted by 59-year-old Ibbotson, whose body is yet to be recovered.
Sala's family also released a confirmation, saying: "It is with infinite sadness that we confirm the identity of Emiliano's body. We would like to thank you for all your signs of affection and support in what is the most painful time of our lives. Seeing the whole world mobilized to support us in our research has been an infinitely precious help. Thanks to you, we are now able to mourn our son, our brother."
Meanwhile, a search is still ongoing for Ibbotson. The fresh search was spurred after a GoFundMe page set up for him assisted in funding a private search for the pilot's body. Reports state that the search operation got a huge boost after footballer Kylian Mbappe donated £27,000 and Gary Lineker handed over £1,000.
An official search into the incident was called off on January 24, however, over £300,000 was raised by football stars across the world to help fund for a private search. Football legend Lionel Messi also contributed funds for the search operation.