Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has announced that the search for the missing aircraft carrying his Vice President, Saulos Klaus Chilima, will continue. The Malawi Defence Force reported that the aircraft “went off the radar” after departing from the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning.
The plane was scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport in the country’s north shortly after 10:00 local time (09:00 BST).
In a speech late on Monday, President Chakwera confirmed that a search and rescue operation was underway. He stated, “Soldiers are still on the ground carrying out the search and I have given strict orders that the operation should continue until the plane is found,” describing the situation as “heart-breaking.”
He expressed concern but assured the nation that all available resources were being utilized to locate the plane, holding onto hope for survivors.
President Chakwera canceled his scheduled flight to the Bahamas on Monday evening to remain in Malawi. The cause of the aircraft’s disappearance is still unknown, according to General Valentino Phiri. Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu told the BBC that efforts to locate the aircraft are “intensive.”
Vice President Chilima was en route to represent the government at the funeral of former cabinet minister Ralph Kasambara, who passed away three days prior. Kunkuyu explained, “The airport he was to land at, which is in the northern part of Mzuzu, was the closest to where the funeral was taking place.”
In 2022, Dr. Chilima was arrested and charged with accepting money in exchange for awarding government contracts. However, the court dropped the charges last month without providing reasons for the decision.
