A small plane from Mexico with five German nationals on board disappeared off Costa Rica on Friday, Public Security Minister Jorge Torres announced.
“We have received an alert concerning a plane, a private flight from Mexico to the airport” in the eastern province of Limon, the minister said.
“This aircraft was carrying five passengers of German nationality,” Torres said in a video message released by his ministry.
“The aircraft lost communication with the control tower near La Barra de Parismina in the Costa Rican Caribbean and we immediately activated the internal protocol” to locate it, the official said.
He added that the plane disappeared at 6:00 pm (Saturday 0000 GMT).
After a few hours, the search was suspended due to nightfall and “bad weather” and would resume on Saturday, the minister said.
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The private flight, was reportedly carrying German fitness entrepreneur and McFit’s CEO, Rainer Schaller.
According to the German newspaper Bild, McFit spokeswoman Jeanine Minaty later confirmed the company’s founder and CEO Rainer Schaller was on the plane.
His partner Christiane Schikorsky was also on board, along with their children, Bild reported.
“We don’t know anymore at the moment,” Minaty was quoted as saying.
