- VP Chilima and 9 others died in a plane crash.
- Plane went missing Monday due to poor visibility.
- Chilima was a potential presidential candidate.
- President promises thorough investigation.
Malawi’s Vice President, Saulos Klaus Chilima, and nine others on board a military aircraft that went missing on Monday, have been confirmed dead in a plane crash, according to President Lazarus Chakwera.
The aircraft, carrying Chilima, 51, took off from the capital Lilongwe at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT) on Monday but was unable to land at Mzuzu airport as scheduled at 10:02 a.m. due to poor visibility. The aircraft was ordered to return to the capital but went off the radar, and aviation authorities were unable to make contact with it.
President Chakwera announced the tragic news in an address to the nation on Tuesday, saying, “I’m deeply saddened, I’m sorry to inform you all that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy.” The search and rescue team found the aircraft near a hill in the Chikangawa Forest, but unfortunately, there were no survivors.
Chakwera said the crash site was located in a mountainous part of the forest, making it difficult for rescue teams to access. Vice President Chilima was seen as a potential candidate in next year’s presidential election, but his political career was marred by graft allegations.
Chilima was arrested in 2022 over corruption charges, but a Malawi court dropped the charges against him last month after the director of public prosecutions filed a notice for the case to be discontinued. Chilima had denied any wrongdoing, and his death has sent shockwaves across the country.
President Chakwera has promised a thorough investigation into the crash, and the nation is in mourning for the loss of the Vice President and the nine others who perished in the tragic accident.
