June 11, (THEWILL)- Malawi’s Vice President, Dr. Saulos Chilima and nine other people, including former First Lady Shanzi Dzimbiri, have been killed in a plane crash.
THEWILL earlier reported that a military aircraft carrying the Vice President was missing after it went off the radar on Monday morning.
“Unfortunately, all on board have perished in the crash,” the Office of the President and Cabinet said in a Tuesday morning statement.
The confirmation came after more than a day-long search effort in a forested area in the mountains of northern Malawi. The military plane crashed Monday morning after it took off from the country’s capital, Lilongwe.
Chilima, 51, and the other passengers were travelling to Mzuzu to attend the funeral of the country’s former attorney general when their plane dropped off the radar.
Air traffic officials said the plane had been unable to land at Mzuzu airport, about 200 miles north of the capital, due to poor visibility, and the pilot had been advised to return to Lilongwe when the flight disappeared.
Addressing the nation on Tuesday, Malawi’s President, Lazarus Chakwera, said: “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 has found the aircraft near a hill… they have found it completely destroyed with no survivors.”
The President said the plane crashed in Chikangawa mountain range. He has declared Tuesday a national day of mourning.
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