A wave of concern has swept over Malawi following the disappearance of an aircraft carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others.
The office of President Lazarus Chakwera announced the incident on Monday morning, stating that the aircraft “went off the radar” shortly after departing from the capital, Lilongwe.
The Malawi Defense Force aircraft was scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport in the northern part of the country just after 10:00 local time (09:00 BST). However, aviation officials lost contact with the aircraft, prompting immediate search and rescue operations ordered by President Chakwera.
Among the passengers on the missing flight are Dr. Chilima’s wife, Mary; former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri; and several officials from the vice-president’s United Transformation Movement (UTM) party.
Upon receiving news of the incident from Defense Force Commander General Valentino Phiri, President Chakwera cancelled his scheduled flight to the Bahamas, which was planned for Monday evening. “The public will be updated on any developments as facts are established,” stated the president’s office.
Efforts to locate the aircraft are described as “intensive” by Malawi’s Information Minister, Moses Kunkuyu. The cause of the aircraft’s disappearance remains unknown, and authorities are working tirelessly to gather more information.
Vice President Chilima, who has been serving as Malawi’s vice president since 2014, was on his way to represent the government at the burial of former Cabinet Minister Ralph Kasambara, who passed away three days prior.
Before his political career, Chilima held significant leadership roles in multinational companies such as Unilever and Coca Cola.
At 51 years old, Chilima is a prominent figure in Malawi’s political landscape. He is married and has two children. The disappearance of the aircraft has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the nation as search and rescue teams continue their efforts to locate the missing vice president and his fellow passengers.
The Malawian public and international community await further updates on this distressing situation, hoping for a positive resolution.
