Malawian search teams have located the wreckage of a plane carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima, a military source confirmed on Tuesday. The discovery comes a day after the aircraft went missing in adverse weather conditions.
The military plane, which included Vice President Chilima, aged 51, and nine other passengers, vanished on Monday. The plane had been attempting to land in Mzuzu, a city in northern Malawi, but poor visibility forced it to return to the capital, Lilongwe. Tragically, there were no survivors found in the wreckage.
Photographs provided to AFP by a member of the military rescue team depict soldiers standing on a foggy hillside near debris identified as part of the Malawi Army Air Wing’s Dornier 228-202K aircraft. President Lazarus Chakwera was expected to address the nation following the discovery. Initially, it was uncertain if anyone had survived the crash.
Rescuers scoured a foggy forest south of Mzuzu on Tuesday, following the last signal the plane transmitted before it disappeared. General Paul Valentino Phiri, the army commander, noted that other countries, including neighboring nations, had joined the search efforts, providing helicopters and drones for assistance.
The search operations intensified on Tuesday in the fog-covered forest, after authorities pinpointed the final transmission tower contacted by the plane. General Phiri mentioned that international support had been crucial in the search mission.
The group had departed Lilongwe just after 9:00 am (0700 GMT) on Monday to attend the funeral of a former cabinet minister, located approximately 370 kilometers (230 miles) away in Mzuzu. Among the passengers was Malawi’s former first lady, Shanil Dzimbiri.
Vice President Chilima, a charismatic leader first elected in 2014, is highly regarded in Malawi, especially among the youth. However, in 2022, during his second term, he faced allegations of corruption involving a bribery scandal with a British-Malawian businessman, leading to his arrest and the temporary stripping of his powers. Just last month, a Malawian court dismissed the charges, allowing him to resume his official duties.
The nation mourns the loss of its Vice President and other esteemed passengers in this tragic incident.
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