A military aircraft carrying Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima has been reported missing after failing to land on Monday morning, according to a statement from the government.
The aircraft, which departed from Lilongwe, the capital, did not arrive at its scheduled destination, Mzuzu International Airport, approximately 370 kilometers (230 miles) to the north. The flight, which was expected to take about 45 minutes, went off radar shortly after takeoff.
Aviation authorities lost contact with the plane, which was carrying 51-year-old Vice President Chilima and nine others. In a statement from Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera’s office, it was confirmed that all efforts by aviation authorities to reestablish contact with the aircraft have been unsuccessful.
“A military aircraft carrying Malawi’s vice president Saulos Chilima has been reported missing after it failed to make a landing Monday morning,” the statement said. “All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far.”
The plane took off just after 9:00 am local time (0700 GMT). The sudden loss of contact has raised significant concerns, prompting immediate action from the highest levels of government.
President Lazarus Chakwera has ordered regional and national forces to conduct an “immediate search and rescue operation to locate the whereabouts of the aircraft,” the statement added.
