According to a statement from the president’s office, an aeroplane carrying nine other people, including vice president of Malawi Saulos Chilima, has vanished.
It also said that the aircraft of the Malawi Defence Force “went off the radar” after it departed the nation’s capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning.
Just after 10:00 local time (09:00 BST), the aircraft was scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport in the north of the nation.
President Lazarus Chakwera announced that a search and rescue effort was still underway in a speech made late on Monday.
“Soldiers are still on the ground searching and I have given strict orders that the operation should continue until the plane is found,” he said, adding that it was a “heart-breaking situation”.
“I know that we are all frightened and concerned – I too am concerned. But I want to assure you that I am sparing no available resource to find that plane and I am holding onto every fibre of hope that we will find survivors.”
Earlier, Mr Chakwera cancelled his planned Monday night departure to the Bahamas.
It is now unknown why the aircraft vanished, General Valentino Phiri informed Mr Chakwera. The BBC was informed by Malawi’s Information Minister, Moses Kunkuyu, that search operations for the aircraft are “intensive”.
Mr. Chilima was en route to serve as the government’s representative at Ralph Kasambara’s funeral, a former cabinet minister who passed away three days prior.
Mr Kunkuyu said: “The airport he was to land, which is in the northern part of Mzuzu, was the closest to where the funeral was taking place.”
Dr. Chilima was detained and accused in 2022 on suspicion of accepting payment in exchange for granting government contracts.
The court dismissed the accusations last month without explaining.
Who is Saulos Chilima?
Dr. Chilima had important leadership positions in international corporations like Unilever and Coca-Cola before entering politics. His age is fifty-one. He has two kids and is married.
On the official government website, Dr. Chilima is referred to as a “performer,” “workaholic,” and “an achiever.” He is a Knowledge Management PhD candidate.
or a specific category with our 
Comments are closed, but trackbacks and pingbacks are open.