The Vice President of Malawi Killed in Plane Crash
Lilongwe, Malawi | AFP | Tuesday 11/06/2024 - Malawi's Vice President Saulos Chilima was killed in a plane crash, announced the country's president of the southern African nation shortly after the discovery of the wreckage of the missing aircraft the previous day.
"Search and rescue teams have located the plane, completely destroyed and with no survivors, all passengers on board having been killed instantly," President Lazarus Chakwera said in a televised address, following the disappearance of the aircraft near Mzuzu in the northeast.
"Words fail to express how devastating this is," he added, describing it as a "terrible tragedy."
The military plane, with ten people on board, had vanished from radar on Monday after failing to land due to poor visibility. Photos showing debris bearing the registration number of the aircraft, a twin-engine Dornier 228-202K, were transmitted to AFP.
Elected as vice president for the first time in 2014 alongside former president Peter Mutharika, Saulos Chilima, 51, a charismatic political figure known for his firm speeches, was highly popular in Malawi, particularly among the youth.
As he was heading to a funeral, his plane departed from the capital Lilongwe on Monday morning after 09:00 (07:00 GMT), but was unable to land in the city of Mzuzu due to bad weather and was instructed to turn back before disappearing from radar, according to the Malawian presidency.
Mr. Chilima had boarded the plane with nine others to travel to Mzuzu, 370 km northeast, to attend the funeral of a former government official. Former Malawi First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri (Muluzi) was among the passengers.
Mr. Chilima had been suspended from his duties in 2022, during his second term, as part of an investigation into a major scandal involving public contracts, implicating a British-Malawian businessman. He was arrested and prosecuted for corruption. The charges against him were dropped in May by the courts, allowing him to resume his official duties.
- Loss of Contact -
"Upon arrival in Mzuzu, the pilot was unable to land due to poor visibility caused by bad weather, and the aviation authorities advised the plane to return to Lilongwe, but authorities quickly lost contact with the aircraft," President Chakwera had reported on Monday evening in an initial televised address to the nation.
The head of state dismissed allegations from local media that search operations had been interrupted at night. He canceled his departure for a working visit to the Bahamas.
Search efforts began on Monday evening, with soldiers searching on foot and by torchlight in the Chikangawa forest reserve, where unconfirmed reports cited in the local press claimed some had seen a plane crash.
They continued on Tuesday morning despite heavy fog.
Rescuers focused their search in an area near the last relay antenna where the vice president's phone had last pinged, a presidency spokesman said during a press briefing.
Several countries, including Malawi's neighbors, some of the poorest in the world in southern Africa, have offered assistance, including drones and helicopters, said General Paul Valentino Phiri, army commander.
The US Embassy in Lilongwe also offered assistance, including the possibility of using a military C-12 aircraft.
Condolences poured in from the African Union, the European Union, and the United States.
"Our thoughts are with the loved ones of those who lost their lives and the people of Malawi at this tragic time," said the British High Commission in Lilongwe.
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