Malawi Vice President Saulos Klaus confirmed dead after plane crash
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The search and rescue operation for the missing plane carrying Malawi Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine other occupants has ended in tragedy after all of its occupants were found dead
The search and rescue operation for the missing plane carrying Malawi Vice President Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine other occupants has ended in tragedy after all of its occupants were found dead.
In a statement on Tuesday, Colleen Samba the Secretary to the President said the plane which had been missing for hours was located at Chikangawa forest.
The rescue operation was conducted immediately after the plane went off the radar and Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera ordered all resources to be poured in locating the aircraft.
“The aircraft, which was carrying the Vice President, the Right Honourable Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, and nine others, was found this morning in the Chikangawa forest. Unfortunately, all on board have perished in the crash,” the statement read in part.
The search and rescue operation was conducted by various agencies, including the Malawi Defense Force, the Police Service, and the Department of Civil Aviation.
Chilima, 51, was aboard a military aircraft with nine others that left Lilongwe, the capital, at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT), Malawi’s Office of the President and Cabinet said in an earlier statement.
It said efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar had failed. The plane had been scheduled to land at Mzuzu Airport at 10:02 a.m.
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The plane was unable to land at the airport due to poor visibility and was ordered to return to the capital, President Lazarus Chakwera said in a televised address to the nation.
He said Malawi had reached out to neighbouring countries, and the U.S., Britain, Norway, and the Israeli governments for support in the rescue efforts.
Chilima, seen as a potential candidate in next year’s presidential election, was arrested in 2022 over graft allegations.
However, a Malawi court dropped the corruption charges against him last month after the director of public prosecutions filed a notice for the case to be discontinued. Chilima has denied any wrongdoing.
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