Costa Rican rescuers today found two bodies in the Caribbean Sea, officials said, they were passengers on a small plane that crashed, killing all six people on board. According to German media, among the passengers on the plane was the German fitness tycoon Schaller. The five passengers on the plane are believed to be German citizens, while the captain is a Swiss national, Agence France-Presse and Associated Press reported.
“We found some debris from the plane that was engulfed by the tide, as well as two bodies,” said German security minister Torres.
Authorities have launched a search and rescue operation after the small plane lost contact with the control tower in the eastern province of Limon yesterday. The Ministry of Public Security said the plane wreck was found in the waters 28 kilometers from Limon Airport after searches and rescue resumed today.
The German newspaper Bild quoted a company spokesperson as saying that the five Germans on board included the founder of the McFit fitness chain, Rainer Schaller, his girlfriend and their two children, as well as another unnamed man.
Schaller is the founder, owner and CEO of RSG Group, which owns 21 fitness and fashion brands in 48 countries, including Gold’s Gym, McFit, etc., with a total of 41,000 employees.
The Costa Rican foreign ministry did not disclose the identity of the victims.
According to Costa Rican media, the plane was a turboprop from Chiapas, Mexico. The Associated Press reported that the plane was a nine-seater Italian Piaggio P180 Avanti.
