Emiliano Sala plane search: Haunting WhatsApp call from Cardiff City striker emerges before aircraft vanished - as desperate hunt enters day two

The search for Premiership footballer Emiliano Sala entered its second full day today as rescue experts admitted there was almost "no hope" of finding him alive.

Sala, 28, and an unidentified pilot are feared dead after the light aircraft they were travelling in disappeared from radars at around 8.30pm on Monday night after taking off from an airport in Brittany.

A haunting voice message sent by Cardiff City’s new £15m striker to friends from above the English Channel said: "So it looks like I’m here on a plane that’s about to fall apart."

On Wednesday Channel Islands air chief first officer John Fitzgerald said that if the Piper-P46 Malibu had fallen from the sky "the plane would have broken, in which case there is no hope".

He added: "The temperature of the water is so cold right now that" survival beyond around an hour was unlikely.

Sala, who is from Argentina, was recorded as he sat in the plane as it struggled in wind and rain.

Using a WhatsApp group account, he told friends, including ones he played with at Nantes FC before signing for Cardiff: "Hi my little brothers, how are you?

"Guys, I'm exhausted, I was in Nantes, I did so much stuff, stuff, stuff ... never ending.

"I'm on the plane right now, it seems like it's falling apart.

"I'm going to Cardiff, so we can start training tomorrow - my new team, guys."

As conditions deteriorate, Sala says: "We'll see what happens. How are you, my brothers?

"If in an hour and a half there is no news of me, I don’t know if they’ll send anyone to look for me because you won’t find me, but you'll know... Daddy, I'm so scared!"

According to a source connected to the player in Brittany, the pilot had "struggled to get the plane airborne three or four times" at Nantes-Atlantique airport.

Sala had arrived in France from Cardiff at the weekend in the same plane, and even at that stage he was "worried about the choppy flight".

While the American-made Piper-P46 Malibu generally has a good safety record, there have been numerous instances of such planes crashing in bad weather.

Sala, who left home aged 15 to fulfil his dream of becoming a professional footballer, had also posted a message on Instagram on Monday with a picture of him and his old Nantes teammates.

It was accompanied by the poignant message: "La ultima ciao"- the last goodbye, and a love heart.

Another source close to Nantes FC said: "Emiliano loved the club, and was loyal to everyone.

"He was here to say goodbye, and was due to go to Cardiff on a private plane. It was just a short hop, and he was expected in Wales around 9pm.

"He was very excited about playing in Britain. Everyone, including his family, is now involved in an unbearable wait for news."

Sala’s plane lost contact with controllers near the Casquets lighthouse.

An air and sea search was launched on Monday, but it was halted on Tuesday night because of the lack of visibility and deteriorating weather.

Last night Sala's father said: “I don't know what to think... The hours pass and I am just beginning to think the worst.”

Speaking to media outside the family home in Argentina, Horacio Sala added: “We were in touch on Sunday. He was so happy that he was going there, to an even bigger club.”

His mother Mercedes said the striker had been “enjoying the best moment of his career”.

“We are just here waiting, minute after minute. I spoke to him a few hours before he took off. I don't know what else to say, I'm so worried," she said.

“We are in constant communication and desperate for good news. He was very happy and content with the transfer. He was enjoying the best moment of his career so far.”

Guernsey Police said this morning: "We have resumed searching.

"Two planes are taking off & will search a targeted area we believe has the highest likelihood of finding anything, based on review of the tides and weather since it went missing."

"Coastal areas around Alderney and off-lying rocks and islands will also be searched from the air."

Ken Choo, chief executive of Cardiff City Football Club, said: "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."

He added: "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."