Missoni Plane Found: Crash Wreckage of Fashion House Leader Discovered
Following a months-long search, the plane wreckage belonging to a small plane carrying Italian fashion designer Vittorio Missoni, his wife, and four others was discovered on Thursday off the coast of Venezuela.
The plane crashed on Jan. 4 this year after departing the Los Roques resort for an international airport outside Caracas. Venezuelan officials carried out an intensive search following the crash, scouring the lands for months without finding any wreckage debris.
Interior Ministry spokesman Jorge Galindo tweeted Thursday that wreckage belonging to the small plane was discovered off the coast of Venezuela. Days after the crash, hope that passenger's on the plane could still be living were raised after a text message was sent from of the passenger's cell phones. Other planes in the past had disappeared without a trace in the same area and been discovered later linked to drug vendettas.
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After authorities confirmed the crash, the Missoni family issued the following statement: "The families thank the Venezuelan government and the Italian government for the effort in having made this search possible. They are confident that the investigation will follow through to the ascertainment of the causes and the responsibility for the accident."
It has not yet been confirmed whether the bodies belonging to Missoni and the five other passengers were recovered. The Italian designer, 58, ran the famed Missoni fashion house in Italy along with his two siblings. Popular amidst celebrity clients like Cameron Diaz and Katie Holmes, the brand also attempted to introduce a new, more affordable line through Target in 2011. As a result, Target's website was shut down for hours due to the high demand.
Ottavio Missoni originally founded the fashion house in 1953. It began as a knitwear workshop but later expanded to include apparel, housewares, a fragrance line and a chain of hotels.
