An aircraft carrying Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others has gone missing, according to a statement from the president’s office. The Malawi Defence Force aircraft disappeared from radar shortly after departing from Lilongwe, the capital, on Monday morning. The scheduled landing time for the aircraft at Mzuzu International Airport in northern Malawi was just after 10:00 local time (09:00 BST).
In a speech on Monday evening, President Lazarus Chakwera announced that the search and rescue efforts were ongoing. He stated, “Soldiers are still on the ground carrying out the search, and I have given strict orders for the operation to continue until the plane is found.” Chakwera described the situation as “heart-breaking” and acknowledged the widespread concern. He assured the public that authorities were utilizing all resources to locate the aircraft and expressed hope for finding survivors.
Earlier, President Chakwera cancelled his planned flight to the Bahamas, which he had scheduled for Monday evening. The cause of the aircraft’s disappearance remains unknown, according to General Valentino Phiri. Moses Kunkuyu, Malawi’s information minister, told the BBC that the search efforts are “intensive.”
Vice-President Saulos Chilima was traveling to represent the government at the funeral of former cabinet minister Ralph Kasambara, who had passed away three days prior. Kunkuyu explained that Mzuzu International Airport was the closest airport to the funeral location.
Moreover, authorities arrested and charged Dr. Chilima in 2022 with accepting money in exchange for awarding government contracts.However, authorities subsequently dropped the charges last month without providing an explanation.
