Costa Rican authorities said Saturday they have found wreckage in the sea believed to be the wreckage of a twin-engine helicopter carrying five Germans missing off the country’s east coast.
Among those on board were gym operator Rainer Schaller, his partner and their children.
The small plane disappeared on Friday while en route from Mexico to an airport in eastern Costa Rica. Officials in Costa Rica said initial search efforts were suspended overnight due to bad weather.
Deputy Public Security Minister Martin Arias said: “Wreckage has been found 28 kilometers from Limone Airport in the Caribbean, which clearly indicates that this is the plane. At this time, we have not found any bodies or people alive.”
Public Security Minister Jorge Torres later said he believed all five passengers were German citizens and that the pilot was a Swiss citizen.
McFit spokeswoman Jenin Minati said the fitness company’s founder and CEO Schaller was also on board, German newspaper Bild reported. According to Bild, his partner Christian Sikorsky was also on the plane with their children. Another man was reportedly with the family.
McFit is the largest fitness chain in Germany, with more than 200 gyms in Germany, as well as in Austria, Italy, Poland and Spain, the fitness chain has more than 1.4 million members.
Schaller was also the owner of the company that organizes the electronic dance music festival Love Parade. Based on ARD’s 2019 estimate, Schaller net worth is €250 million.
Cover photo: Borja B. Hojas / Getty Images for Sergio Ramos by John Reed
