Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty
German businessman Rainer Schaller, whose investment group acquired iconic fitness company Gold’s Gym in 2020, was among the passengers of a plane that crashed in Costa Rica over the weekend, his company confirmed.
“We are shocked, stunned, and full of grief about this tragic accident,” RSG Group’s statement said, according to AP. “The news during the last few days has shaken us deeply, and our thoughts are with the family in these difficult hours.”
PEOPLE reached out to RSG Group for comment Monday afternoon.
In a post tosocial mediaon Friday, the Costa Rican Ministry of Public Security said a plane headed from Mexico to Costa Rica lost contact with Juan Santamaria International Airport’s control tower around 8 p.m. ET.
The aircraft had been flying over the Parismina area in the Costa Rican Caribbean, the organization said.
CNNreported that Schaller’s partner, Christiane Schikorsky, and two minors were among those listed on the flight manifest.
An AP report on Sunday said the ministry hadfound the bodies of one adult and one child. Search teams had also recovered backpacks, bags, and pieces of the plane.
The plane was a nine-seat Italian-made Piaggio P180 Avanti. According to CNN, the Red Cross was asked to help in search efforts.
RELATED VIDEO: Midair Plane Crash Leaves 3 Dead in Colorado
Along with Gold’s Gym, RSG Group owns a collection of fitness brands, including McFit and Cyberobics, according to itswebsite. They acquired Gold’s Gym in July 2020.
“Gold’s Gym is a fitness institution that had a major influence on the industry’s development,” Schaller said in a press release at the time, in part. “I am incredibly proud that, in partnership with their current leadership team, we will be able to breathe new life into this iconic brand under the umbrella of the RSG Group.”
source: people.com
