Searchers have found the wreckage of a plane that was carrying Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima, military sources confirmed on Tuesday, a day after the aircraft went missing in bad weather. The military plane, carrying Chilima, 51, and nine others, disappeared on Monday after failing to land in Mzuzu due to poor visibility. Tragically, there were no survivors.
Photos shared by a military rescue team showed personnel standing near debris of the Malawi Army Air Wing Dornier 228-202K aircraft on a foggy slope. President Lazarus Chakwera is expected to address the nation regarding the incident.
Rescue efforts had been focused on a forest south of Mzuzu, where authorities pinpointed the plane’s last known transmission. Support from neighboring countries, including helicopters and drones, aided the search.
The group departed Lilongwe around 9:00 am on Monday to attend a funeral in Mzuzu. Among the passengers was former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri.
Chilima, first elected vice president in 2014 and popular among Malawian youth, had recently resumed his duties after bribery charges against him were dropped last month.
