Authorities are checking if a wreck found on a beach off the island of Curacao could be that of a plane carrying fashion executive Vittorio Missoni which disappeared last month.
Mr Missoni, the eldest son of the founders of the Missoni fashion house, disappeared with his wife and four others when their plane went missing off the coast of Venezuela in early January.
Police on the tiny island of Bonaire said two pieces of luggage had washed up on a local beach.
In Curacao, police spokesman Hans Baltus said two bags found earlier this week on a rocky beach were from the missing plane carrying Mr Missoni.
He gave no other details but Missoni family friend Claudio Verna said in Italy that authorities in Bonaire phoned him to tell him that two bags were found that belonged to Mr Missoni.
The BN-2 Islander plane vanished shortly after take-off on January 4th from Los Roques, a tiny archipelago that is a dependency of Venezuela, on its way to Caracas.
Founded in the 1950s by Vittorio's parents Ottavio and Rosita, Missoni is run by Vittorio, his brother Luca and their sister Angela.
Missoni's 2011 collaboration with Target won headlines when the website of the second-largest US discount retailer failed to function because of higher-than-expected demand for the brand's maxi dresses and home furnishings at a fraction of their typical cost.
The fashion house, whose designs have been worn by pop stars Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, has also partnered companies including stroller maker Bugaboo and Valentino Fashion Group, licensee of the lower-priced M Missoni line that was introduced in 1998 to broaden the brand's customer base.
Agencies