A senior military official has revealed that a plane carrying Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others may have crashed in Chikangawa Forest in the north of the country. The military aircraft disappeared from airport radars on Monday morning while flying in adverse weather conditions.
Soldiers have been combing through the dense forest to locate the missing plane. However, Malawi Defense Force commander Paul Valentino Phiri stated in a press briefing on Tuesday that thick fog has significantly reduced visibility, hampering search efforts.
President Lazarus Chakwera, in an address to the nation on Monday evening, pledged to spare no available resource in the mission to find the plane and expressed hope for finding survivors. “I know that we are all frightened and concerned – I too am concerned. But I want to assure you that I am sparing no available resource to find that plane, and I am holding onto every fiber of hope that we will find survivors,” he said.
The United Transformation Movement (UTM), Vice President Chilima’s party, expressed disappointment with the search operation, alleging that it began at 15:00 local time (14:00 GMT) despite the plane going missing at 10:00. Chilima, 51, and President Chakwera come from different parties but formed an alliance during the 2020 elections.
The vice president was on his way to represent the government at the burial of former government minister Ralph Kasambara, who passed away four days ago. Former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri was also among the passengers on the flight, which took off from the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning. The plane was intended to land at the airport in the northern city of Mzuzu but was turned back due to poor visibility.
President Chakwera has reached out to the governments of various countries, including the US, UK, Norway, and Israel, all of which have offered support “in different capacities” to assist in locating the plane.
Dr Chilima, who is widely loved in Malawi, particularly among the youth, has been vice president since 2014. Last year, he was arrested and charged with allegations of accepting money in exchange for awarding government contracts. However, last month, the court dropped the charges without providing any reasons for the decision.
As the search for the missing plane continues, the nation remains hopeful for the safe return of Vice President Saulos Chilima and the other passengers on board. The challenging conditions in Chikangawa Forest have made the search efforts more difficult, but the Malawi Defense Force and the government remain committed to finding the plane and any potential survivors.
Credit: BBC
