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picture released, Getty Images
Peter Griesemann was a prominent German businessman and organizer of the Cologne Festival
German businessman Peter Griezmann and his family died in the crash of his private plane in the Baltic Sea in mysterious circumstances, while on a flight from Spain to Germany, with four people on board.
The wreckage of a private plane was found after it mysteriously crashed off the coast of Latvia in the Baltic Sea, and German media say the other three victims are his wife, daughter and boyfriend.
The prominent businessman Griezmann was one of the main organizers of the German Cologne Festival.
The festival’s Facebook page mourned Grisman, and mourned his death, as he was the president of “Blue Sparks” – one of the oldest carnival associations.
mysterious disappearance for the plane
The Cessna 551 disappeared from radar screens near Latvia and stopped responding to air traffic controllers’ conversations, after it took off from Jerez airport in Spain on Monday morning and crossed half of Europe before crashing into the Baltic Sea.
It turned out that the plane was owned by a German aircraft rental company called Kwik Air, based in Cologne, and registered in Vienna, Austria, and the German businessman used it as his private plane.
German and Danish fighter jets were sent to track the plane, after which a Swedish helicopter began searching for it. Three small ships and a helicopter are now at the crash site, but no survivors have been found.
Debris and traces of oil slicks were found off the coast of Latvia, and the plane was scheduled to land in Cologne, Germany, but headed instead to the Baltic Sea. Reports say that four people were on board.
The Latvian Maritime Search and Rescue Service told the BBC: “We have found three parts of the aircraft, we think – experts will determine the truth of these parts.”
A spokeswoman for the search service, Leva Vita, said there were no indications about the whereabouts of the people on board. Previous reports also confirmed the presence of oil slicks in the area.
Vita confirmed that two small Latvian navy ships and a coast guard ship were at the crash site northwest of Ventspils, as well as a Latvian border guard helicopter.
picture released, WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Cessna 551 crashed in the Baltic Sea after suddenly changing course on a flight from Spain to Germany
On the other hand, Kwik Air told Reuters news agency that the Cessna plane was owned by the company’s owner, Karl Griesemann, but the nationality of those on board at the time was not confirmed.
According to the Spanish news agency “Effie”, the four people hold German citizenship.
Earlier, NATO pilots and Swedish officials tracking the plane could not see anyone in the cockpit.
Data tracking website Flyer Radar 24 says the plane took off from the Spanish city of Jerez de la Frontera at 12:56 GMT. And at 17:37 it was announced on the website that the plane had lost speed and altitude.
German newspaper Bild said the plane reported cabin pressure problems after takeoff and lost contact after it left the Iberian Peninsula.
Swedish search and rescue chief Lars Antonson told AFP the plane crashed “when we ran out of fuel”.
Antonson added that the rescuers “have absolutely no explanation” and can only “speculate” what happened. “But it is clear that they (the people on the plane) were powerless (to deal with the situation),” he said.
Tags: Mystery surrounds crash private plane Baltic Sea carrying prominent German businessman
