Malawi Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima .Image file | Courtesy
In Summary:
- A Malawi Defence Force aircraft carrying Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima went off radar after departing Lilongwe on Monday morning.
- President Lazarus Chakwera has stated that an intensive search and rescue operation is actively continuing to locate the missing plane.
- Chilima was en route to attend the funeral of a former cabinet minister in the northern city of Mzuzu when contact was lost.
President Lazarus Chakwera has assured the nation that no resources are being spared in the search for the Malawi Defence Force aircraft that went missing on Monday.
The plane, carrying Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima, lost radar contact shortly after taking off from Lilongwe and failed to arrive at Mzuzu International Airport around 10:00 local time.
In a national address late Monday night, President Chakwera emphasized that the search and rescue mission is ongoing.
“I have issued strict orders for the operation to continue until the plane’s whereabouts are determined,” he stated.
“This situation has left us all frightened and concerned, but we are exhausting every means to find survivors.”
Chilima was traveling to Mzuzu to represent the government at the burial service of former cabinet minister Ralph Kasambara.
Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu noted that Mzuzu was the nearest major city to the funeral site.
The cause of the aircraft’s disappearance remains unknown, according to military spokesperson General Valentino Phiri.
President Chakwera postponed his scheduled trip to the Bahamas due to the crisis.
Vice President Chilima recently had corruption charges dropped by the courts without explanation, following his arrest in 2022 over bribery allegations.