6, including Gold’s gym owner who is feared dead in a plane crash – NECN

Six people, including the German businessman behind Gold’s Gym, were feared dead on Saturday after a small plane crashed into the Caribbean Sea near Coast of Costa Rica.

All five passengers are believed to be German nationals, Security Minister Jorge Torres said. The pilot of the plane was Swiss. At least one other person on board the plane turned out to be a relative of Shaler.

Costa Rican authorities said pieces of a twin-engine turboprop plane were found in the water on Saturday after the flight went missing on Friday.

The flight plan filed for the small charter plane listed Rainer Schaller as a passenger. The man with the same name runs international chains of fitness and gyms, including Gold’s Gym and McFit. At least one other person on the plane appeared to be a relative of Schaller, but that relationship was not immediately confirmed by authorities.

Martin Arias, Costa Rica’s assistant security minister, said no bodies had yet been found at the site, about 17 miles (28 kilometers) up the coast from Limon airport.

“Fragments were found that indicate it was an airplane,” Arias said. “So far we have found neither the living nor the dead.”

The plane was an Italian-made nine-seater Piaggio P180 Avanti, known for its distinctive profile.

The plane disappeared from radar while en route to Limon, a resort town on the coast.

The Minister of Security reported that the flight took off from Mexico.

“Around six o’clock in the afternoon, we received a warning about a flight coming from Mexico to Limon airport, with five German passengers on board,” said Torres. The search began immediately, but was temporarily suspended due to bad weather.

Rainer Schaller is listed as “Founder, Owner and CEO of RSG Group”, a conglomerate of 21 fitness, lifestyle and fashion brands that operates in 48 countries and employs 41,000 directly or through franchises.

Schaller was in the news in 2010 for his role as the organizer of the Berlin Love Parade techno festival. As a result of the stampede at the event, 21 people died and more than 500 were injured. At the time, authorities said Schaler’s security had failed to stop the flow of people into the tunnel when the situation was already tense at the entrance to the festival grounds.

Schaller has fended off allegations of wrongdoing, noting that his security concept has received official approval from the city.