By Olaide Ajibola, JKNMedia Reporter
A PLANE carrying Malawian Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others has crashed in a forest, with no survivors, President Lazarus Chakwera announced on Tuesday.
“The plane has been found, and I am deeply saddened and sorry to inform you all, it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy,” President Chakwera said in a televised address.
The military aircraft, which had been carrying Vice President Chilima, 51, disappeared on Monday after failing to land in Mzuzu due to poor visibility. the plane was instructed to return to Lilongwe, but it went off the radar shortly thereafter.
Search efforts were launched immediately, with assistance from neighboring countries including helicopters and drones.
By Tuesday, the wreckage was located in a fog-covered forest south of Mzuzu, with debris bearing the registration of the Malawi Army Air Wing Dornier 228-202K.
Photographs from the rescue site showed army personnel standing near the debris. The crash occurred in a mountainous part of the Chikangawa Forest, making the search and rescue operation challenging.
The plane had taken off from Lilongwe at 9:17 am and was supposed to land in Mzuzu at 10:02 am for the funeral of a former cabinet minister.
Among the passengers was Malawi’s former first lady, Shanil Dzimbiri.
General Paul Valentino Phiri, the army commander, confirmed the support from neighboring countries in the search efforts. Despite the track record of the aircraft and the experience of the crew, the plane crashed, leaving the nation in mourning.
Vice President Chilima, first elected in 2014, was a popular figure in Malawi, especially among the youth.
However, his political career faced turbulence when he was arrested in 2022 on corruption charges, which were later dropped by a Malawian court last month.
President Chakwera expressed his condolences and highlighted the significance of the loss, stating that the remains of all passengers would be returned to Lilongwe by the military.
Chilima had been seen as a potential candidate for the upcoming presidential election next year.
His arrest in 2022 over allegations of receiving money to influence government contracts had sparked criticism regarding the administration’s stance on corruption.
Despite these challenges, he had maintained his innocence and resumed his duties after the charges were dropped.
Chilima previously ran in the 2019 presidential election, finishing third. After the election was annulled due to irregularities, he joined forces with Chakwera in a historic re-run in 2020, which resulted in Chakwera’s victory, marking the first time in Africa that a court-overturned election resulted in a defeat for the sitting president.
