A search is underway for a light aircraft after it disappeared from radar near the Channel Islands on Monday evening.

The Guernsey and Alderney lifeboats as well as two helicopters are combing an area north of Alderney for the Piper Malibu plane.

Air Traffic Control have confirmed the aircraft was travelling from Nantes in Western France to Cardiff when it went missing.

In a statement Guernsey Police said: "A search and rescue operation is currently underway off the north of Alderney

after a light aircraft disappeared from radar several hours ago.

"Two helicopters alongside the Guernsey and Alderney lifeboats are searching for it."

It is not known how many people were on board the single-engine Piper Malibu, but it normally carries one pilot and up to five passengers.</s>An air and sea search has been launched in the Channel Islands for a light aircraft which lost contact at 8.30pm this evening.

The Piper Malibu with two people on board is reported to have lost contact near the Casquets lighthouse at 20:30 GMT, according to the BBC.

The plane is believed to have been travelling from Nantes in France to Cardiff in Wales.

A coastguard rescue helicopter and crews from Alderney and Guernsey RNLI have joined the search in the area around the lighthouse.

A spokesman for Jersey Coastguard told MailOnline the team from Guernsey was conducting the S&R mission, with assistance from the team in Jersey.

The first lighthouse was built off the treacherous Casquets rocks, 13km north-west of Alderney, in 1724.

Three towers lit by coal fires were created to form a distinctive shape which would not be confused by seamen for lighthouses in nearby France.</s>The search for ​a plane carrying Cardiff City record signing Emiliano Sala has been suspended until Wednesday morning, local police have confirmed, with chances for survival "slim" for the Argentine.

Sala and a pilot were on a small aircraft flying from Nantes to Wales on Monday evening when it disappeared off radar off the coast of Guernsey, in the English Channel between the UK and France

A search was carried out on Tuesday but, at 5pm local time, the search and rescue team confirmed that no trace of either person aboard the plane had been found. With daylight fading, police suspended the search for Tuesday.

"During the course of the 15-hour search, which used multiple air and sea assets from the Channel Islands, UK and France, a number of floating objects have been seen in the water," Guernsey Police said on Twitter.

"We have been unable to confirm whether any of these are from the missing aircraft."

In a further update, the police sounded a pessimistic note on Sala and the pilot's chances of survival due to the cold temperature and weather conditions.

Cardiff released a statement earlier on Tuesday from club CEO Ken Choo, who said the club were "praying for positive news".

"We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing. We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team," the statement read.

"Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation.

"We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire club with Emiliano and the pilot.

"All of us at Cardiff City FC would like to thank our fans, and the entire footballing family for their support at this difficult time. We continue to pray for positive news."

Sala completed a £15 million ($19m) move to Cardiff from Ligue 1 side Nantes on Saturday, and had travelled back to France to bid farewell to his former team-mates.</s>Cardiff City continue to “pray for positive news” as they wait for updates on Emiliano Sala and the plane which went missing while bringing the Argentine striker to Wales from Nantes.

Authorities continue to search for an aircraft which vanished off radar while in the air on Monday evening.

The plane, which it has been confirmed Sala was travelling on, was off the coast of Guernsey when it disappeared.

As they wait on news from English and French police forces and search and rescue parties, a statement from Cardiff’s executive direction and CEO Ken Choo released on the club’s official website read: "We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing. We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team.

"Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation.

"We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire Club with Emiliano and the pilot.

"All of us at Cardiff City FC would like to thank our fans, and the entire footballing family for their support at this difficult time.

"We continue to pray for positive news."

The latest update from Guernsey Police, which was released on Tuesday afternoon, read: “There are currently two planes, two helicopters and a lifeboat searching for the aircraft.



“No trace has yet been found.



“Conditions during the search last night were challenging, with wave heights of up to two metres, with heavy rain showers and poor visibility.

“Today the sea is much calmer, although visibility was good, it is now deteriorating.

“UK authorities have been calling airfields on the south coast to see if it landed there. So far we have no confirmation it did.



“Search continues. Decision at sunset about overnight search.”</s>Cardiff City continue to "pray for positive news" as they wait for updates on Emiliano Sala and the plane which went missing while bringing the Argentine striker to Wales from Nantes.

Authorities continue to search for an aircraft which vanished off radar while in the air on Monday evening.

The plane, which it has been confirmed by the French civil aviation authority to AP as having Sala travelling on it, was off the coast of Guernsey when it disappeared.

And Cardiff have now released a statement from the club's executive director and CEO Ken Choo, insisting that they are "distressed" at the situation and "praying for positive news".

"We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing. We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team," the statement read.

"Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation.

"We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire club with Emiliano and the pilot.

"All of us at Cardiff City FC would like to thank our fans, and the entire footballing family for their support at this difficult time. We continue to pray for positive news."

Sala completed his club-record £15 million ($19m) move to the Welsh capital from Nantes on Saturday, and had travelled back to France to bid farewell to his former team-mates.

Nantes themselves released a statement on the incident, with club president Waldemar Kita saying: I'm thinking of his friends and his family. I still have hope - he's a fighter and it's not over. Maybe he is somewhere.

"We are waiting for some news that we hope will be positive. We are very touched by all the support received since this morning."

As confirmed by Guernsey police, an area of 1000sq miles had been searched as of 11.45am (GMT) "by a total of five aircraft and two lifeboats".

In a further update, they tweeted to specify that visibility was deteriorating but that a decision had not yet been made regarding an overnight search heading into Wednesday.

"No trace has yet been found," the tweet began. "Conditions during the search last night were challenging, with wave heights of up to two metres, with heavy rain showers and poor visibility.

"Today the sea is much calmer, although visibility was good, it is now deteriorating. UK authorities have been calling airfields on the south coast to see if it landed there.

"So far we have no confirmation it did. Search continues. Decision at sunset about overnight search."

Channel Islands Air Search chief of operations John Fitzgerald has claimed that, given the circumstances around the missing aircraft and the temperature of the water, he is not confident about a positive outcome.

He told So Foot: "I really do not understand how an airplane could have disappeared from radar. There must have been a technical or mechanical problem.

"[The plane] just completely vanished. There was no radio conversation.

"Personally, and I only speak for myself, I do not think there is any chance of them being alive right now.

"It is extremely cold in these waters, a person immersed probably would not survive more than one hour, unless you have protection."

Fans of Nantes are set to gather in the city centre on Tuesday evening in a vigil while Cardiff fans have begun to pay tribute at the Cardiff City Stadium.</s>PARIS (Reuters) - The search continued on Tuesday for a light aircraft carrying Cardiff City soccer player Emiliano Sala which went missing off Guernsey.

Rescue helicopters and lifeboats scoured the seas off the Channel Islands and French police sources confirmed the 28-year-old Argentine forward was on board the single-engine Piper Malibu which disappeared from radar screens late on Monday evening.

Sala joined Premier League strugglers Cardiff City from FC Nantes last week for a club record fee of about 17 million euros ($19 million). He had played in France since 2012.

Local coastguards were alerted by air traffic control at 20:23 GMT that an aircraft with two people on board had gone missing.

Lifeboats and helicopters were sent out but the search was suspended four hours later as the wind strengthened and visibility deteriorated.

Search teams resumed work on Tuesday morning and had covered more than 1,000 square miles by midday.

“At this time no trace of the missing aircraft had been found,” Guernsey police said.

Sala’s father told Argentine TV channel C5N: “I didn’t know anything because I’m away from home, I’m a truck driver. A friend who saw it on TV told me. I’m in despair. I pray that this ends well.”

Cardiff City chairman Mehmet Dalman said the club was “very concerned” by news of the plane’s disappearance.

“It gives me great pleasure and I can’t wait to start training, meet my new team mates and get down to work,” he said.

Sala scored 12 goals for Nantes this season. Officials of the Ligue 1 club did not immediately comment.

The plane had been cruising at 5,000 feet when the pilot requested to descend to a lower altitude on passing Guernsey. It lost radar contact at 2,300 feet, Guernsey police said.

France’s soccer federation said it had postponed Nantes’s French Cup last-32 game against Entente Sannois-Saint Gratien which had been scheduled for Wednesday.</s>Cardiff City’s new record £15million signing Emiliano Sala was on board a missing private jet from Nantes to the Welsh capital, according to French police sources.

A major search operation is now under way after the light aircraft disappeared from radar near the Casquets lighthouse on Alderney in the Channel Islands.

Guernsey Police revealed that the Piper Malibu has been missing since 8.30pm on Monday night.

And now French police have told AFP that they believe the Argentine striker was on board.

The private plane was flying from Nantes, France, to Cardiff, sparking fears that the player could be on board, the Mirror reports.

Reports in France suggest, however, that there is "genuine concern" at Cardiff amid Sala's current status.

According to journalists in France, Sala was seen going through border control in Nantes amid unconfirmed suggestions that he did embark the missing chartered jet.The Premier League club only unveiled the Argentine striker as their record transfer signing from Nantes last Saturday.

It is understood the player returned to France after completing his move and was due to report for training in Cardiff on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old joined Neil Warnock’s side from French outfit Nantes for £15million.

Sala turned down a late mega-money offer to play in Chinese before putting pen to paper on a three-and-a-half year deal at Cardiff due to his desire to play Premier League football.

Speaking on Saturday after signing for the Bluebirds, Sala said: “I can’t wait to start training, meet my new team-mates and get down to work."

Before switching to Cardiff, Sala was the third highest scorer in Ligue 1 this season with 12 goals, behind only Kylian Mbappe and Nicolas Pepe.

Cardiff brought him in to boost their chances of staying in the Premier League beyond this season.

He added: "For me it feels special [to be the Club’s record signing]. I have come here wanting to work and to help my teammates and the Club. I can’t wait to get to work straight away and do everything I can."

The plane has been missing since 8.30pm on Monday, January 21, according to Guernsey Police.

A coastguard rescue helicopter and crews from Alderney and Guernsey RNLI joined the search in the area around the lighthouse.

HM Coastguard said the disappearance was not in the UK search and rescue area, but it had also sent two helicopters to help.

A spokeswoman said they were assisting Guernsey Coastguard with a search for a light aircraft off Alderney: "HM Coastguard helicopters from Solent and Newquay have been helping to search overnight with nothing found."

The Met Office said at the time the aircraft went missing "there were some showers around, but nothing too intense".</s>Cardiff City continue to “pray for positive news” as they wait for updates on Emiliano Sala and the plane which went missing while bringing the Argentine striker to Wales from Nantes.

Authorities continue to search for an aircraft which vanished off radar while in the air on Monday evening.

The plane, which it has been confirmed Sala was travelling on, was off the coast of Guernsey when it disappeared.

As they wait on news from English and French police forces and search and rescue parties, a statement from Cardiff’s executive direction and CEO Ken Choo released on the club’s official website read: "We were very shocked upon hearing the news that the plane had gone missing. We expected Emiliano to arrive last night into Cardiff and today was due to be his first day with the team.

"Our owner, Tan Sri Vincent Tan, and chairman, Mehmet Dalman, are all very distressed about the situation.

"We made the decision first thing this morning to call off training with the thoughts of the squad, management staff and the entire Club with Emiliano and the pilot.

"All of us at Cardiff City FC would like to thank our fans, and the entire footballing family for their support at this difficult time.

"We continue to pray for positive news."

The latest update from Guernsey Police, which was released on Tuesday afternoon, read: “There are currently two planes, two helicopters and a lifeboat searching for the aircraft.



“No trace has yet been found.



“Conditions during the search last night were challenging, with wave heights of up to two metres, with heavy rain showers and poor visibility.

“Today the sea is much calmer, although visibility was good, it is now deteriorating.

“UK authorities have been calling airfields on the south coast to see if it landed there. So far we have no confirmation it did.



“Search continues. Decision at sunset about overnight search.”</s>There are “genuine concerns” for the wellbeing of Cardiff City’s record signing Emiliano Sala following the disappearance of a plane he is believed to have been travelling on.

A light aircraft which is understood to have departed Nantes for Wales vanished from the radar off Alderney in the Channel Islands on Monday evening.

Goal sources say two people were on board the plane, Sala and the pilot, but it lost contact with air traffic control near Casquets lighthouse – around eight miles north-west of Guernsey in the English Channel.

Argentine striker Sala completed a £15 million ($19m) move to Cardiff on Saturday having netted 12 Ligue 1 goals already this season and his new club expressed serious concerns on Tuesday morning about his whereabouts.

“We are very concerned by the latest news that a light aircraft lost contact over the Channel last night," the club said in a statement. "We are awaiting confirmation before we can say anything further.

"We are very concerned for the safety of Emiliano Sala."

A coastguard rescue helicopter and the RNLI joined the hunt for the missing plane on Monday, despite the disappearance occurring outside of the UK search and rescue area.

A statement released by Guernsey Police read: “A search and rescue operation is currently underway off the north of Alderney after a light aircraft disappeared from radar several hours ago.

“Two helicopters alongside the Guernsey and Alderney lifeboats are searching for it.”

The initial search was terminated at 2am GMT, with all rescue assets stood down amid strengthening winds and poor visibility.

The search was resumed once conditions improved.

A further update from Guernsey Police on Tuesday morning read: “Searching for the light aircraft PA 46 Malibu resumed at 8am this morning.

“No trace has currently been found. It was en route from Nantes, France to Cardiff, Wales with two people.”

Having seen a switch to Cardiff confirmed over the weekend, Sala had taken to social media to say his goodbyes to those in Nantes.

Cardiff City's chief executive Ken Choo had said of the deal: "I'm sure all Cardiff City fans will join me in that and we can look forward to seeing our record signing in a Bluebirds shirt."

The French Football Federation has suggested calling off Nantes' Coupe de France game against Sannois Saint-Gratien on Wednesday night due to the incident.

Cardiff are without a game until next Tuesday against Arsenal due having already been eliminated from the FA Cup, with fourth round fixtures taking place in the UK this weekend.</s>PARIS (AP) — Argentine soccer player Emiliano Sala was aboard a small passenger plane that disappeared off the coast of Guernsey as he was flying to Wales to join Premier League club Cardiff , authorities said Tuesday.

An official involved in the air search in the Channels Islands said no survivors are expected to be found. The search, which was halted overnight because of strong winds and rough conditions at sea, resumed Tuesday morning with help from maritime authorities in Britain and France.

The light aircraft disappeared from radar Monday night over the English Channel as it made the journey from Nantes. The 28-year-old Sala had spent the previous hours saying farewell to teammates at the French city's soccer team after Cardiff signed him for a club-record fee last week.

"After all this time the weather's quite cold, the water is very cold out there ... I am not expecting anyone to be alive," Channel Islands Air Search chief officer John Fitzgerald told The Associated Press. "I don't think the coastguard are either. We just don't know how it disappeared at the end of yesterday."

Britain's Coastguard received an alert at 8:23 p.m. on Monday from air traffic control in Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, after it failed to make contact with the Piper PA-46 plane with two people on board, Guernsey police said. The French civil aviation authority confirmed Sala was one of people.

"The search was terminated at 2:00, with all search and rescue assets being stood down, due to strengthening winds, worsening sea conditions and reducing visibility," Guernsey police said. "So far over 1,000 square miles have been searched by a total of five aircraft and two lifeboats. There has been no trace of the aircraft. The search is continuing."

Sala's last post on Instagram was a picture on Monday with Nantes players with the message

Cardiff signed Sala for a reported 15 million pounds ($19 million) through 2022. He was in Cardiff last week to finalize the transfer, which was awaiting international clearance.

"I can't wait to start training, meet my new teammates and get down to work," Sala said in a video posted on the club's website.

A powerful and direct player, Sala equaled his career-best total of 12 goals — achieved in the past two seasons with Nantes — in 19 league games this season. He is fifth highest scorer in the French league, one behind Paris Saint-Germain forward Neymar, who is the world's most expensive player.

"He was a polite, nice and adorable player who was loved by everybody," Nantes president Waldemar Kita told French TV channel CNews.

Nantes was due to play Entente Sannois in the French Cup on Wednesday but the third-tier club said it was postponed until Sunday "following the disappearance of the plane of former player Emiliano Sala."

Sala, who had not played for Argentina's national team, has also played in France for Bordeaux.
A Piper Malibu light aircraft, carrying two people on a flight from Nantes to Cardiff, goes missing off the coast of Alderney in the Channel Islands. A major search and rescue operation is underway. Cardiff City F.C. footballer Emiliano Sala is confirmed to have been on board the missing aircraft.