The president of Malawi announced on June 11 that nine people, including the vice president, had perished in an aircraft crash.
After a search that lasted more than a day, the remains of the military plane carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima were found in a hilly region in the north of the nation. In a live speech on national television, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera declared that there were no survivors of the incident.
Hundreds of law enforcement officials, military personnel, and forest rangers searched for the missing aircraft on Monday morning. The aircraft was carrying the former first lady along on a 45-minute flight from Lilongwe, the capital of southern Africa, to Mzuzu, which is located about 370 kilometers (230 miles) to the north.
Due to inclement weather and low visibility, air traffic controllers advised the aircraft to return to Lilongwe rather than trying to land at the airport in Mzuzu, according to Mr. Chakwera. The aircraft subsequently vanished from radar after air traffic control lost communication with it, he claimed.
Old Mutual Malawi stands in solidarity with the nation as we mourn the tragic loss of the Right Honorable Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima, the Vice President of the Republic of Malawi and other lives. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. #MalawiMourns pic.twitter.com/ogaDK1Tub2
— Old Mutual Malawi (@OldMutualMalawi) June 12, 2024
There were three members of the military crew and seven passengers on board. The President identified the aircraft as a small, Malawian armed forces-operated aircraft with propellers. Based on the tail number he gave, the aircraft is a Dornier 228-type twin-propeller that was given to the Malawian army in 1988, according to the aircraft information tracking website ch-aviation.com.
The search in a large forest plantation in the Viphya Mountains close to Mzuzu involved some 600 people, according to the authorities.
Chilima was vice president for a second time. He held the same position under former President Peter Mutharika from 2014 until 2019. He ran for president of Malawi in 2019 and came in third place, trailing only Mr. Mutharika, the current president, and Mr. Chakwera. The Malawian Constitutional Court eventually declared the vote invalid due to irregularities.
Chakwera was supposed to perish in the plane crash says Prophet Mukanhairihttps://t.co/pl9X6zA4F0
Prophet Obey Mukanhairi has revealed that Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera was supposed to perish in the plane crash together with his Vice Saulos Chilima.
Chilima and nine… pic.twitter.com/YBf69s6Ln4
— Newsreportzim.com (@newsreport_zim) June 12, 2024
After that, Chilima jumped into the race to support Mr. Chakwera as his running mate in the historic rematch of the 2020 presidential election. For the first time in Africa, the incumbent President lost an election after a court overturned the results.
Prosecutors dropped the corruption accusations against Chilima last month, despite the former leader being accused of accepting bribes in exchange for swaying the awarding of government contracts to the Malawian police and armed services. Although he refuted the accusations, the case raised concerns that Mr. Chakwera’s administration was not going far enough in combating corruption.
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