Drama in Costa Rica: A German private plane disappears from the radar – on board are five German occupants. According to the passenger list, this includes businessman Rainer Schaller (53), who is worth millions. He founded the fitness chain McFit.
A company spokeswoman confirmed to Bild.de that Rainer Schaller, his partner and their children were aboard the machine. “We don’t know any more at the moment.”
Started in Mexico
The Piaggio P.180 started in Palenque, Mexico. Their destination was Limón in Costa Rica, but the plane never arrived there. “The plane disappeared from radar about 40 kilometers from Limón airport. The plane was supposed to land at 6:58 pm, we lost it at an altitude of 2000 feet,” Fernando Naranjo, director of the Civil Aviation Authority, told Teletica.
According to the passenger list, there were three adults and two children on board – the businessman’s family and another man. Due to bad weather, emergency services had to stop the search for the plane. A wreck has not yet been found, the search will resume on Saturday morning (local time).
“We are aware of the matter,” the Foreign Ministry in Berlin said. “Our embassy in San Jose is in contact with the local authorities to clarify the matter.”
Assets of 250 million euros
Rainer Schaller is the founder of the global fitness chain McFit and has an estimated net worth of 250 million euros. Schaller’s company also founded Gold’s Gym International, Inc. op, an American mega gym chain with nearly 700 locations worldwide and more than 10,000 employees. One of Schaller’s business partners is Spanish footballer Sergio Ramos, defender at FC Paris Saint-Germain.
In 2010, Schaller, as organizer and sponsor of the event, made the headlines because of the accident at the Loveparade 2010 in Duisburg that left 21 dead and at least 652 injured.
Schaller started his career with an internship as a retail salesman and later as a franchisee at Edeka before opening his first fitness studio in Würzburg in 1997. (neo)
Source: Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
