American actor Christian Oliver and his two daughters have died in the Caribbean after the aircraft they were traveling in “plummeted into the ocean” moments after takeoff from an island in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, officials and reports say.
The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) said the small, one-engine aircraft owned and piloted by Robert Sachs, a resident of the island of Bequia, crashed into the sea about one nautical mile west of the island of Petit Nevis around midday Thursday.
“The aircraft went airborne from the J.F. Mitchell Airport in Paget Farm about 12:11 p.m. for St. Lucia as its final destination. Moments after taking off, the aircraft experienced difficulties and plummeted into the ocean,” police said in a Facebook post.
Police identified the victims as Sachs and his three passengers onboard: Christian Klepser and his daughters, Madita, 10, and Annik, 12.
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Klepser, who goes by the stage name Christian Oliver according to media reports, has “worked with the likes of Steven Soderbergh in The Good German opposite Cate Blanchett and George Clooney, Brian Singer and Tom Cruise in Valkyrie and the Wachowski’s in Speed Racer and Sense8,” according to his website. The actor also appeared in a 1995 film adaptation of the popular book series, “The Baby-Sitters Club.”
In his most recent post on Instagram four days ago, Oliver shared an image of people gathered on a beach and wrote, “Greetings from somewhere in paradise! To community and love… 2024 here we come!”
In another post on Instagram, actress Bai Ling — who said she was working with Oliver for the upcoming film Forever Hold Your Peace — wrote “I just could not believe it is the truth, the last we worked filming in Hollywood was December 20th 2023, just right before Christmas.”
“He was so. nice, works so hard and such a brave actor and a beautiful gentle person, we played lovers in this film, just so so so sad… And his daughters were so so young,” she added.
Fox News Digital reached out to Oliver’s reps who have not issued a formal statement about the incident at this time.
“The four bodies of the aforementioned persons were recovered from the aircraft/sea by Coast Guard personnel and were later pronounced deceased by a medical practitioner,” the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force said.
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It’s not immediately clear what caused the plane to crash. An investigation is ongoing.
The local news website Searchlight reported that Sachs owned a dive business in Bequia and last radioed the airport’s control tower to inform them that he was experiencing difficulties and was turning around.
Police say the bodies have now been transported to the island of St. Vincent and are being looked at by a medical examiner.
“The RSVGPF expresses condolences to all who are negatively affected by this tragic incident,” it added. “The RSVGPF will update the public as more information is gathered.”