Costa Rican authorities discovered two bodies while searching for six missing people whose whereabouts became unknown after the airplane they were flying on disappeared from radar just off the country's Caribbean coast.
Among the missing people is the German businessman behind Gold's Gym who is suspected to be one of the two bodies found. However, officials said that the two victims have not yet been identified as they include one adult and one child.
Costa Rican Plane Crash
The Security Ministry revealed that the searchers were also able to find backpacks and bags and pieces of the plane. Security Minister Jorge Torres said that all five of the passengers were believed to be German citizens while the pilot was Swiss.
Authorities added that pieces of the small, twin-engine turboprop aircraft were discovered in the water on Saturday after it went missing the day before. A flight plan filed for the small plane listed Rainer Schaller as a passenger and is known for being the one who runs international chains of fitness and gym outlets, including Gold's Gym and McFit, as per US News.
They noted that at least one of the other victims aboard the plane was a relative of Schaller, but the relation was not immediately confirmed. The searchers focused their efforts on a site roughly 28 kilometers off the coast from the Limon airport.
The aircraft was a nine-seat Italian-made Piaggio P180 Avanti which is known for its distinctive profile. The plane disappeared from the radar while on its way to Limon, which is a resort town on the coast. According to CNN, based on a flight manifest shared by the Public Security Ministry, it was discovered that among the victims were the businessman's partner, Christiane Schikorsky, and two minors.
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Costa Rica Plane Crash Missing Victims
The vice president of the Ministry of Public Security, Martin Arias, said that the coast guard conducted a search operation in the Caribbean Sea starting at around 5:00 a.m. local time on Saturday and found remains of the aircraft at roughly 5:50 a.m.
The official noted that the Red Cross has been asked to assist with search and rescue operations. In a statement, the German Foreign Office said it was aware of the situation and added that the German Embassy in the Costa Rican capital of San Jose was in contact with local authorities for further clarification.
The German Foreign Office added that the embassy was also standing ready to provide consular assistance to the families of the persons affected by the crash. Schaller was also a sponsor and organizer of the Tecno Parade electronic music street festival between 2006 and 2010, the year that the festivities came to a tragic end with a human stampede that resulted in 21 deaths.
Among the pieces of the plane that searchers discovered include a seat and part of the aircraft's fuselage. One official noted that the search began from the last communication from the site and they measured a perimeter. This was very effective because they arrived promptly at the site of the event, Tico Times reported.
