By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima (51) has been killed in a plane crash along with nine other passengers, the country’s President Lazarus Chakwera announced Tuesday.
Chakwera said in an address to the nation that the crash site was in a mountainous part of the Chikangawa Forest.
The aircraft went missing after it failed to land at the Mzuzu International Airport, about 380 km (240 miles) to the north of the capital Lilongwe. The wreckage of the plane has been located, Chakwera said Tuesday.
The aircraft left the capital Lilongwe at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT) on Monday but was unable to land at Mzuzu airport as scheduled at 10:02 a.m. due to poor visibility.
It was ordered to return to the capital but went off the radar and aviation authorities could not make contact with it.
On the plane with Chilima was with Lukas Kapheni, Chisomo Chimaneni, Gloria Mtukule, Shanil Dzimbiri, Dan Kanyemba, and Abdul Lapukeni. The flight crew was Colonel Sambalopa, Major Selemani, and Major Aidin, from the Malawian Defence Forces (MDF).
“The search and rescue operation I ordered to find the missing plane that carried our vice president and nine others has been completed. The plane has been found. And I am deeply saddened and sorry to inform you that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy,” added Chakwera.
He had been expected to be a presidential candidate in elections due in 2025.
Chilima, was arrested in 2022 over graft allegations. However, a court dropped the charges against him last month after the director of public prosecutions filed a notice for the case to be discontinued. Chilima denied wrongdoing.