The wreckage of the plane carrying Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima has been discovered with no survivors, President Lazarus Chakwera announced in a somber press briefing on Tuesday.
The aircraft, carrying the 51-year-old vice-president and nine others, went missing after it failed to land at Mzuzu International Airport in Lilongwe, the capital.
Vice President Chilima was en route to represent the government at the burial of former minister Ralph Kasambara, who passed away four days prior.
Former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri was also among the passengers on the ill-fated flight. The plane encountered severe weather conditions and was diverted from landing due to poor visibility.
Upon receiving news of the missing plane on Monday, President Chakwera canceled a trip to the Bahamas and issued an order for national and local authorities to “conduct an immediate search and rescue operation to locate the whereabouts of the aircraft.”
In his update on the situation, President Chakwera said, “The search and rescue operation I ordered to find the missing plane that carried our vice president and nine others has been completed. The plane has been found. I am deeply saddened and sorry to inform you that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy.”
He confirmed that the rescue team discovered the aircraft completely destroyed, leaving no survivors.
Saulos Chilima had served as the vice-president of Malawi since 2014. Despite originating from different political parties, Chilima and President Chakwera formed an alliance during the 2020 elections.
The vice-president leaves behind a wife and two children.
