Search for EPL star Emiliano Sala's missing plane called off with 'no hope' of survivors

Fading light forced police to call off a search for the stricken plane carrying English Premier League footballer Emiliano Sala with a rescuer claiming there was no hope of finding any survivors.

Sala and pilot David Ibbotson are missing after their private plane vanished from radar on Monday (Tuesday NZT) on a flight between Nantes, in France and Cardiff.

Sala - who had signed for EPL club Cardiff City from FC Nantes – sent a fearful voice message to his father in Argentina, saying: "I'm on a plane that looks like it's going to fall apart."

Guernsey Police told the BBC an "intensive" nine-hour search had found no trace of the missing aircraft on Wednesday night (Thursday morning NZT).

Channel Islands Air Search chief officer John Fitzgerald told the BBC "even the most fit person" would only survive for a few hours in the water.

Police will decide on Thursday whether to resume the search, which was halted after night fell.

Rescue aircraft and boats searched more than 2590 square km of sea single-engine Piper Malibu by midday on Tuesday.

Guernsey police resume the search on Wednesday. 

"Two planes are taking off and 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," a police spokesman said.

The 28-year-old Argentine-born forward joined struggling Cardiff City from FC Nantes last week for a club record fee of about $US19 million ($NZ28 million), after scoring 12 goals for the French club this season.

In a voice message left by Sala, published by Argentine newspaper Clarin, he said it seemed as though the plane was "about to crash".

The plane had been cruising at 5000ft when the pilot requested to descend to a lower altitude on passing Guernsey. It lost radar contact at 2300ft, police said.

They said they had seen a number of floating objects in the water on Tuesday but had been unable to determine whether they were from the missing aircraft.

The police said they had found no signs of those on board and that if the aircraft landed on water, the chances of survival were slim.