Saulos Chilima, Malawi’s Vice President, and nine others lost their lives in a plane crash after a search and rescue mission ended in the location of the wreckage in a forest.
Chilima’s demise was revealed by the nation’s president in a statement on Tuesday after it was reported that the military plane carrying 51-year-old Chilima and nine others disappeared on Monday.
The aircraft had failed to land in the northern city of Mzuzu due to bad weather and was instructed to return to the capital, Lilongwe.
In his address to the nation, President Lazarus Chakwera said, “The search and rescue team have found the aircraft … completely destroyed with no survivors, as all passengers on board were killed on impact. Words cannot describe how heartbreaking this is.”
The foggy forest of southern Mzuzu had been searched by rescuers on Tuesday after the last tower the plane transmitted to was revealed by the authorities.
The Malawi Army Air Wing Dornier 228-202K aircraft was found in the debris by the military rescue team, as revealed in photographs shared with AFP.
Shanil Dzimbiri, Malawi’s former First Lady, was also aboard the plane when it crashed.