All five passengers are believed to be German citizens, according to Security Minister Jorge Torres. The plane's pilot was Swiss.
A flight plan filed for the small, charter plane listed Rainer Schaller as a passenger. A man by the same name runs international chains of fitness and gym outlets, including Gold's Gym and McFit.
Martín Arias, Costa Rica's assistant security minister, said no bodies had been located yet at the site, about 17 miles (28 kilometers) off the coast from the Limon airport, Deccanherald reported.
“Pieces have been found that indicate that this is the aircraft,” Arias said. “Up to now we have not found any bodies dead or alive.”
The plane was a nine-seat Italian-made Piaggio P180 Avanti, known for its distinctive profile.
The plane disappeared from radar as it was heading to Limon, a resort town on the coast.
“Around six in the afternoon we received an alert about a flight coming from Mexico to the Limon airport, carrying five German passengers," Torres said. A search started immediately but was called off temporarily due to bad weather.
MA/PR
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