A body retrieved from the wreckage of a crashed plane in the English Channel has been formally identified as Cardiff City's Argentina-born soccer player Emiliano Sala, British police said in a statement on Thursday.

Emiliano Sala's father has revealed that no one has been in contact with the footballer's family following the news he was aboard a plane that disappeared over the English Channel on Monday.

Hundreds of people have tried to cross the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom in recent weeks. The crossings have caused a headache for the UK government.

A British frigate escorted Russian ships through the English Channel on Monday, Britain's defence ministry said, adding that it was the latest sign of an upsurge in Russian naval activity near UK waters during the holidays.