ST. VINCENT AND THE GRENADINES – Hollywood actor Christian Oliver, renowned for work in films such as “Speed Racer” and “Valkyrie,” died alongside his two young daughters when their small plane crashed into the ocean off a Caribbean island on Thursday. This sad news was announced by officials and reports.
The Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (RSVGPF) revealed that the single-engine plane, owned and piloted by Robert Sachs, a Bequia resident, nose-dived into the sea approximately one nautical mile west of Petit Nevis Island around noon.
According to the police statement, the aircraft, having taken off from the J.F. Mitchell Airport in Paget Farm bound for St. Lucia, crashed shortly after.
Those aboard the ill-fated plane were Sachs and his three passengers: actor Christian Klepser, aka Christian Oliver, and his daughters, Madita, age 12, and Annik, age 10.
Christian Oliver, also known for acting in films such as “The Good German” alongside celebrities like Cate Blanchett and George Clooney, posted on Instagram just four days before the tragedy: “Greetings from somewhere in paradise! To community and love… 2024 here we come!”
Co-star Bai Ling, having recently worked with Oliver on the upcoming film “Forever Hold Your Peace,” expressed her grief on Instagram: “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.”
Oliver’s representatives haven’t issued an official statement regarding the incident. The police force reports that all four bodies have been retrieved from the scene by the Coast Guard and pronounced dead by a medical practitioner. The exact cause of the deadly plane crash remains unknown, pending further investigations.
Local news website Searchlight reported that Sachs, the owner of a diving business in Bequia, had radioed the airport’s control tower about encountering difficulties and intending to turn back. The recovered bodies have been moved to the island of St. Vincent for examination by a medical expert.
The RSVGPF extended its condolences to all affected by the tragic incident and promised to update the public as more information is gathered.