An aircraft carrying Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine other passengers has gone missing, according to a statement from the president’s office. The Malawi Defense Force aircraft “went off the radar” after departing from the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning.
The aircraft was scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport in northern Malawi shortly after 10:00 local time (11:00 BST). When aviation officials lost contact with the aircraft, President Lazarus Chakwera immediately ordered a search and rescue operation.
The passengers included Vice-President Chilima’s wife, Mary, and several officials from his United Transformation Movement (UTM) party. Vice-President Chilima was en route to attend the burial of former cabinet minister Ralph Kasambara, who passed away three days ago.
Upon learning of the incident, President Chakwera cancelled his scheduled flight to the Bahamas. “The public will be updated of any developments on the situation as facts are established,” stated the president’s office.
General Valentino Phiri informed President Chakwera that the reason for the aircraft’s disappearance is currently unknown. Moses Kunkuyu, Malawi’s information minister, told the BBC that efforts to locate the aircraft are “intensive.”
Vice-President Chilima, 51, has served as Malawi’s vice-president since 2014. Before his political career, he held key leadership roles in multinational companies such as Unilever and Coca Cola. He is married with two children.