Wreckage found in the Caribbean Sea near Costa Rica on Saturday could be part of a small plane with five German nationals on board which disappeared the night before, Costa Rican officials said.

The wreckage was found just 28 kilometers (17 miles) from the airport in the eastern province of Limon, deputy Public Security Minister Martin Arias said in a video released by his ministry.

The wreckage "apparently indicates to us that it is the aircraft," he said. 

He said no sign of those on board had been spotted.

The plane, which was on a flight from Mexico, vanished off Costa Rica on Friday, Public Security Minister Jorge Torres had previously announced.

"We have received an alert concerning a plane, a private flight from Mexico to the airport" in Limon, the minister said.

"This aircraft was carrying five passengers of German nationality," Torres said in a video message released by his ministry. 

"The aircraft lost communication with the control tower near La Barra de Parismina in the Costa Rican Caribbean, and we immediately activated the internal protocol" to locate it, the official said.

He added that the plane disappeared at 6:00 pm (Saturday 0000 GMT).

After a few hours, the search was suspended due to nightfall and bad weather before resuming Saturday morning.