London, Jun 20 (IANS): Police investigating the death of footballer Emiliano Sala have confirmed the arrest of a 64-year-old man on the suspicion of manslaughter.

The Argentinean footballer died on January 21 when the light plane he was travelling in crashed into the English Channel as he was flying from France to the UK to complete a transfer from Nantes to Cardiff City.

The 28-year-old's body was later recovered from the wreckage, but that of the pilot, 59-year-old David Ibbotson has not been found, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We have carried out a wide-ranging investigation into the circumstances of the death of Mr Sala and continue to work with partner agencies including the Civil Aviation Authority. As part of this investigation we have to consider whether there is any evidence of any suspected criminality and as a result of our inquiries we have today, Wednesday June 19 2019, arrested a 64-year-old man from the North Yorkshire area on suspicion of manslaughter by an unlawful act.

"He is assisting with our inquiries and has been released from custody under investigation," Detective Inspector Simon Huxter, of Dorset Police told the press.

Detective Inspector Huxter preferred not to speculate, saying the case was "still subject to a live investigation and I would ask the media and members of the public to refrain from speculation, as this could cause additional distress to the families involved as well as potentially hinder the investigation."