Family Launch Private Search For Missing Footballer Sala Relatives of missing Premier League player Emiliano Sala on Saturday began a private search for his plane, which disappeared over the Channel after local police called off their own rescue mission. The news was announced by an online fund-raising campaign for the operation, and confirmed to AFP by a friend of the Argentine striker’s family. “The fund-raising appeal launched late Friday afternoon enabled Emiliano Sala’s relatives, via a specialised organisation, to resume research in the Channel early this Saturday morning,” said a statement on the GoFundMe website. “Two boats are leading the operations.” Around 2,000 people have so far contributed to the appeal, raising almost 190,000 euros ($217,000). Maria Jose Sottini, a friend of Sala’s sister Romina, confirmed to AFP that a privately-funded search led by a non-governmental organisation had begun on Saturday. A light aircraft transporting Sala, who signed f...

Brazil Dam Disaster Leaves 34 Dead, Hundreds Missing Thirty-four people were confirmed dead and nearly 300 missing Saturday, with hopes fading of them being found alive after a dam collapsed at a mine in southeast Brazil. The disaster struck Friday at the Vale mine near the city of Belo Horizonte in Minas Gerais state, spewing millions of tons of muddy sludge across the facility and down towards farmland alongside the nearby town of Brumadinho. Dozens of helicopters were used in the rescue operation Saturday because the released mud engulfed buildings, vehicles and roads with a deep, treacherous layer. Rescue officials announced the death toll had more than tripled through the day as more and more bodies were pulled from the mud. By the last count, nearly 300 people were missing, virtually all of them mine workers listed by Vale. Among the more than 170 survivors rescued, 23 were hospitalized with injuries. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro flew over the devastated zon...