Emiliano Sala: First image of suspected flight wreckage on Surtainville beach revealed

Another cushion was also found along the same stretch of beach in Surtainville on the French coast and authorities believe they are ‘likely’ to have come from the plane which Cardiff City footballer was onboard

The seat cushion found on the beach in northern France (AFP/Getty Images)

The woman who found a cushion which is suspected to be part of the wreckage of Emiliano Sala’s missing flight has revealed the first image of the wreckage.

Another cushion was also found along the same stretch of beach in Surtainville on the French coast and authorities believe they are “likely” to have come from the plane which Cardiff City footballer was onboard, which went missing in the English channel last Monday.

Josette Bernard, an inhabitant of Surtainville, showed the image on her mobile phone of the plane seat found over the weekend.

The aeroplane, which was being flown by 60-year-old pilot David Ibbotson, disappeared “without trace” around 15km north of Guernsey around 8:20pm, with search efforts halted last Thursday after attempts to locate both men and the aircraft ended unsuccessfully.

“On the morning of Monday 28 January, we were advised by the Bureau d’Enquetes & d’Analyses, the French safety investigation authority, that part of a seat cushion had been found on a beach near Surainville on the Cotentin Peninsula,” the Air Accidents Investigation Branch said in a statement on Wednesday.

“A second cushion was found in the same area later that day. From a preliminary examination, we have concluded that it is likely that the cushions are from the missing aircraft.”