Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera has announced that the wreckage of a missing plane carrying Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others who were travelling with him has been found- with no survivors.
“I’m sorry to inform you all that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy. The search and rescue team has found the aircraft near a hill in the Chikangawa Forest and they have found it completely destroyed with no survivors as all passengers on board were killed on impact,” President Chakwera said in a live broadcast on Tuesday.
The plane, a Malawi Defense Force Aircraft had disappeared from airport radars on Monday morning moments after leaving the country’s capital Lilongwe. Officials say the plane was flying in bad weather.
BREAKING: The wreckage of the missing Malawian vice president’s plane has been found after it crashed in a forest.
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VP Saulos Chilima and all 9 other passengers “were killed on impact,” President Lazarus Chakwera announced pic.twitter.com/VM9j3GiLQt
— Larry Madowo (@LarryMadowo) June 11, 2024
Aside from the VP, the aircraft had on board the country’s former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri and others who were travelling to represent the government at the burial of a former government minister who died four days ago.
Dr Chilima had been vice-president of Malawi since 2014.
He was widely loved in Malawi, particularly among the youth, AFP news agency said.
However, Dr Chilima was arrested and charged in 2022 on allegations that he accepted money in exchange for awarding government contracts. But he denied any wrongdoing.
Last month, the court dropped the charges, giving no reasons for the decision.
Dr Chilima is married with two children.
