The family of missing Cardiff City footballer Emiliano Sala has received more than £160,000 towards a private search for him.
The need to raise the fund became expedient after the search for the Argentine striker, 28, and pilot David Ibbotson, 59, was called off on Thursday.
The plane carrying the two disappeared from radar as the pair flew over the English Channel on their way to Cardiff on Monday night.
Speaking on the search, former Guernsey harbour master said the search was “like looking for a needle in a haystack, when you don’t even know where the haystack is”.
Read also: Ogun car accident kills five pupils, injures two
Argentina’s president Mauricio Macri has joined calls by Sala’s family for the search to resume.
The GoFundMe page has seen footballers such Manchester City’s Ilkay Gundogan contributed to donations for the private search.
Other contributors include Nantes manager Vahid Halilhodzic, Leicester City winger Demarai Gray, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot and Bayern Munich’s Corentin Tolisso.
Sport Cover, Paris-based football agency, who setup the fundraising page hope to raise a total of £260,000 or €300,000.