MALAWI’S Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others on board a military aircraft that went missing on Monday were killed in a plane crash, President Lazarus Chakwera confirmed on Tuesday.
Flight details and disappearance
The aircraft carrying Chilima, 51, departed from the capital, Lilongwe, at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT) on Monday. It was scheduled to land at Mzuzu Airport at 10:02 a.m., but poor visibility prevented it from landing. The aircraft was then ordered to return to the capital but subsequently went off the radar, and aviation authorities lost contact with it.
Tragic discovery
‘I’m deeply saddened. 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… they have found it completely destroyed with no survivors,’ President Chakwera announced in an address to the nation. The crash site was located in a mountainous part of the Chikangawa Forest.
Background on Chilima
Chilima, viewed as a potential candidate in next year’s presidential election, faced graft allegations in 2022. However, a Malawi court dropped the charges against him last month after the director of public prosecutions filed a notice to discontinue the case. Chilima had denied any wrongdoing.
Impact on Malawi
This tragic incident marks a significant loss for Malawi, as Vice President Chilima was a prominent figure in the country’s political landscape. The investigation into the crash is expected to continue as the nation mourns the loss of its vice president and the other victims on board.
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