Malawi’s Vice President, Saulos Chilima, has been confirmed dead following a plane crash, President Lazarus Chakwera announced on Tuesday after search teams discovered the wreckage in a foggy forest.
The military plane, carrying Chilima, 51, and nine others, went missing on Monday. It had been unable to land in the northern city of Mzuzu due to poor weather and was instructed to return to the capital, Lilongwe.
“The search and rescue team found the aircraft completely destroyed, with no survivors; all passengers on board were killed on impact,” President Chakwera said in a national address.
“This is an indescribably heartbreaking tragedy,” he added.
Photographs shared with AFP by a member of the military rescue team showed army personnel standing on a foggy slope near debris bearing the registration number of the Malawi Army Air Wing Dornier 228-202K aircraft.
Rescuers had been searching a fog-covered forest south of Mzuzu on Tuesday after authorities identified the last tower the plane transmitted to before disappearing.
Earlier, army commander General Paul Valentino Phiri mentioned that neighboring countries were assisting the search effort, providing support including helicopters and drones.
The group departed Lilongwe just after 9:00 am (0700 GMT) on Monday to attend the funeral of a former cabinet minister 370 kilometers (230 miles) away in Mzuzu. Malawi’s former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri was also on board.
Chakwera revealed that he had previously flown on the same aircraft for similar trips, noting that the crew had successfully operated it just hours before the crash.
“Despite the aircraft’s track record and the crew’s experience, something terrible went wrong on its flight back to Lilongwe, causing it to crash,” he said.
First elected vice president in 2014, Chilima was a charismatic and stern figure beloved by many, especially the youth. However, in 2022, he was stripped of his powers after being arrested and charged with corruption in a bribery scandal involving a British-Malawian businessman. Last month, a Malawian court dropped the charges, allowing him to resume his official duties.
“Chilima was a good man, a devoted father and husband, a patriotic citizen who served his country with distinction, and a formidable vice president,” Chakwera said. “It has been one of the greatest honors of my life to have had him as my deputy and counselor for the past four years.”