German gym tycoon Rainer Schaller, partner and kids on plane that disappeared off Costa Rican coast
CEO Rainer Schaller owns 200 McFit gym locations in Germany with 1.4 million members
Costa Rican authorities reported that a small plane carrying five German nationals, including the CEO of gym chain McFit, disappeared off the coast Friday night.
The Ministry of Public Safety confirmed Saturday that the Coast Guard found wreckage believed to be from the plane.
McFit founder and CEO Rainer Schaller was one of five passengers on the plane, which was traveling to the eastern part of Costa Rica when it went missing.
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His partner Christiane Schikorsky and their children were the other passengers on board, German newspaper Bild reported.
Rainer Schaller and Christiane Schikorsky are seen during London Fashion Week on Sept. 17, 2021, in London. (David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for John Reed Fitness / Getty Images)
"At the moment we have not located living or deceased people," Nation Coast Guard Service director Martin Arias said during a press conference. Costan Rican media outlet Telediario reported later Saturday that the body of a child had been found, but authorities have not yet confirmed that story.
FILE - Rainer Schaller poses at the McFIT Studio fitness center in Cologne, Germany, May 11, 2020. (Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The plane departed from Mexico and lost communication with the control tower near Barra de Parismina in the Caribbean Sea. Authorities initiated search protocols but the poor weather prevented a night search and could only start Saturday morning.
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McFit spokeswoman Jeanine Minaty said the company didn’t have any other information at this time, DW reported.
CEO of McFit Rainer Schaller and Christiane Schikorsky arrive for the 20th GQ Men of the Year Award at Komische Oper on Nov. 8, 2018, in Berlin. (Sebastian Reuter/Getty Images for GQ Germany / Getty Images)
The search began at 5 a.m. local time, and it took 50 minutes for rescue workers to locate the first remains some 17 miles from the Limón airport, where the plane was headed.
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The McFit gym chain is the largest in Germany, with more than 200 locations domestically, and additional locations in Austria, Italy, Poland and Spain and a membership of 1.4 million subscribers.