Vice President of Malawi dies in plane crash

Wreckage of a crashed military plane

Malawi's vice president and nine others were killed in a plane crash, the country's president said after rescuers found debris in a fog-shrouded forest.

The military plane carrying 51-year-old Saulos Chilima disappeared on Monday after it failed to land in the northern city of Mzuzu due to bad weather and was ordered to return to the capital Lilongwe.

» A search and rescue team found the plane… completely destroyed with no survivors as all passengers on board died on impact,” Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera said in a statement. addressing the nation on Tuesday.

“Words cannot describe how heartbreaking this is,” he said, calling the incident a “terrible tragedy.”

Rescuers have been combing the forest south of Mzuzu since Monday after authorities discovered the last tower handed over to them. before the plane disappeared.

Army chief Gen. Paul Valentino Phiri earlier said other countries, including Malawi's neighbors, were helping search efforts by providing support, including helicopters and drones.

The group flew out of Lilongwe just after 9am local time on Monday to attend the funeral of the former cabinet minister, located about 230 miles from Mzuzu.

Saulos Chilima, Malawi's vice president, was among 10 people aboard the small plane when it crashed. Photo: AMOS GUMULIRA/AFP

Malawi's former first lady Shanile Jimbiri was also on board.< /p>

Mr Chakwera said he had previously flown on the same plane on similar trips. He added that the crew successfully controlled it just a few hours before the accident.

“Yet, despite the aircraft's track record and the experience of the crew, something terrible happened to the aircraft on the return flight to Lilongwe and it crashed,” he said.

First-time vice-elect President in 2014, the charismatic but stern-spoken Mr Chilima was a widely beloved figure in Malawi, especially among young people.

But in 2022, during his second term in office, he was stripped of his powers after being arrested and charged with bribery in connection with a bribery scandal involving a British-Malawian businessman.

Last month, a Malawian court overturned the charges and he resumed his official duties. He was being considered as a potential candidate in next year's presidential election.

«Chilima was a good man, a devoted father and husband, a patriotic citizen who served his country honorably, and an outstanding vice president,» Mr. n Chakwera.

“I consider it one of the greatest honors of my life that he has been my deputy and advisor for the past four years.”