The search for more victims continued on Monday after a small plane crashed off the coast of Costa Rica.

The Coast Guard stopped the search for missing persons on Sunday because of the difficult weather conditions.

On Monday it should be checked whether the persistent rain allows the search to continue.

As reported by the television station Canal 6, the current could have carried wreckage further south.

On Saturday, emergency services recovered the bodies of an adult and a child.

"There were five passengers and one pilot on the plane - a total of six people," Civil Aviation Authority director Fernando Naranjo said.

Johanna Christian

Editor in the Society & Style department.

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On Sunday, the authorities confirmed that the founder of the fitness center chain McFit, Rainer Schaller, his partner Christiane Schikorsky and their two children were on board the plane, as well as another German and a Swiss pilot.

The spokeswoman for McFit operator RSG Group GmbH, Jeanine Minaty, confirmed this. "We are shocked, stunned and saddened by the tragic accident," she said on Monday in Berlin.

The cause of the accident is so far unclear

The small plane disappeared on a flight from Mexico to Costa Rica on Friday evening.

"The plane went off the radar about 25 miles from Limón airport," Naranjo said.

It started in Palenque in the Mexican state of Chiapas in the afternoon.

Near the city is an archaeological site with ruins of a former Mayan metropolis, which are part of the UNESCO World Heritage.

The cause of the accident is so far unclear.

The pilot never reported any difficulties to the air traffic controllers.

A flight recorder was not mandatory because of the small size of the aircraft, Naranjo said.

The authorities are now hoping to gain insights into the crash based on the debris.

By Monday, parts of the fuselage, half a dozen seat cushions and several pieces of luggage had been found.

Traces of oil were also visible.

There was still no trace of the main part of the wreck.

A so-called “duck plane”

The German embassy in San José is in contact with the local authorities, it said.

According to the "Bild" newspaper, representatives of Schaller's corporate empire also arrived in Costa Rica.

The plane that crashed was an Italian Piaggio 180 Avanti business jet.

The pressurized aircraft is powered by two propeller turbines, each producing 850 hp.

The special thing about the Avanti: It is a "duck airplane", i.e. an airplane with canards, two mini wings, on the fuselage.

The turbines on the wing, which is located far back on the fuselage, do not drive traction but pusher propellers.

This configuration enables high speed for a propeller aircraft with low kerosene consumption.

The disadvantage is a much higher noise level.

The Avanti can fly at high altitudes of up to 12,500 meters thanks to the pressurized cabin.

It also has a de-icing system for wings and propellers, so it can fly in any weather.

To date, more than 200 copies have been built.

Piaggio Aerospace had to file for bankruptcy some time ago.

Nevertheless, the production of the aircraft continues.

The company is now building new ones again.

These are mainly bought by Italian government agencies and the military.