Malawi Vice-President and nine others missing after aircraft disappears
Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima, along with nine others, is missing after their aircraft lost contact with air traffic control, the president’s office announced.
The Malawi Defence Force plane, which departed from the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning, was supposed to land at Mzuzu International Airport around 10:00 AM local time (09:00 BST), but it never arrived.
In a Monday evening address, President Lazarus Chakwera described the incident as “heart-breaking” and confirmed that a search and rescue mission was underway.
“I have instructed that the search must continue until the aircraft is found,” Chakwera said, adding that all available resources are being used in the effort.
He expressed hope for finding survivors, amidst the nation’s concern and fear.
President Chakwera also canceled his planned trip to the Bahamas, which was scheduled for Monday night, to focus on the search efforts.
The cause of the aircraft’s disappearance is still unclear, according to General Valentino Phiri.
According to Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu the search efforts are “intensive.”
Vice-President Chilima was traveling to attend the funeral of Ralph Kasambara, a former cabinet minister who died three days earlier.
Mzuzu International Airport was the closest airport to the funeral site.
In 2022, Chilima was arrested on charges of accepting bribes in exchange for awarding government contracts.
However, these charges were dropped by the court last month without any explanation.
Source: bbc.com
