Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has confirmed the tragic death of Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others in a plane crash.
The Malawi Defence Forces (MDF) aircraft carrying Vice President Chilima lost contact with radar after departing from Lilongwe on Monday, June 10, at 9:17 am. The plane was scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02 am but did not arrive as expected.
On the evening of June 10, Malawian authorities issued a statement reporting unsuccessful attempts to re-establish contact with the aircraft. Search efforts resumed the following morning, and the wreckage was discovered in the Chikangawa Forest.
“Unfortunately, all on board have perished in the crash,” confirmed Colleen Zamba, the Secretary to the President and Cabinet, in an official statement.
Vice President Chilima had recently returned from South Korea, where he attended the Korea-Africa Summit on behalf of President Chakwera. He was en route to attend the funeral of former Attorney General and Justice Minister Ralph Kasambala in Mzuzu, intending to return to Lilongwe in time to see off President Chakwera for his trip to the Bahamas—a trip now postponed due to the tragedy.
In response to the incident, President Lazarus Chakwera has declared a national day of mourning and ordered all flags to be flown at half-mast from today until the day of the funeral.
