Lilongwe, Tuesday, 11 June, 2024
McCreadie Andias
Malawi’s vice president Dr. Saulos Chilima along nine others have been confirmed dead after their military jet crashed into a mountainous forest.A presidential statement confirmed on Tuesday morning.
“The aircraft, which was carrying the Vice President, the Right Honourable Dr Saulos Klaus Chilima, w was found this morning in the Chikangawa forest.
“Unfortunately, all on board have perished in the crash.
“The President has declared a national day of mourning and has ordered that all flags fly at half-mast from today until the day of the funeral.” The statement read.
Chilima, 51, was aboard the military aircraft with nine others that left Lilongwe, the capital, at 09:17 a.m. but failed to land at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02 Am on Monday.
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 on Monday .
Air traffic control then lost contact with the jet and it vanished from radar a short time later.
Also On board was former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri and three military crew flying the plane, the president said.
The group was traveling to attend the funeral of a former government minister.
Frantic search crews persued through the area for hours before eventually tracking down the wreckage.
He was a candidate in the 2019 Malawian presidential election and finished third in a vote won by incumbent Peter Mutharika but later annulled by Malawi’s Constitutional Court over election irregularities.
Chilima then joined Chakweras campaign as his running mate in an historic election rerun in 2020, when Chakwera was elected president.
Chilima was seen as a potential candidate in next year’s presidential election.
He was arrested in 2022 over graft allegations but Malawi’s court acquitted him last month after the director of public prosecutions filed a notice for the case to end.