BREAKING: Malawi Vice President, wife, 7 Others ‘Missing’ As Aircraft Disappears From Radar

An aircraft carrying Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others has gone missing, a statement from the president’s office has said.

The Malawi Defense Force aircraft “went off the radar” after it left the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning, it added.

The president ordered a search and rescue operation after aviation officials were unable to contact the aircraft.

It was supposed to land at Mzuzu International Airport, in the country’s north, just after 10:00 local time (11:00 BST)

Other passengers on the flight include Mr Chilima’s wife, Mary, and a number of officials from the vice-president’s United Transformation Movement (UTM) party.

After being told of the incident by Defence Force’s commander, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera cancelled his scheduled flight to the Bahamas.

“The public will be updated of any developments on the situation as facts are established,” the president’s office said.

The reason for the aircraft’s disappearance is not yet known, General Valentino Phiri told Mr Chakwera. Moses Kunkuyu, Malawi’s information minister, told the BBC efforts to find the aircraft are “intensive”.

Mr Chilima was on his way to represent the government at the burial of former cabinet minister Ralph Kasambara, who died three days ago.

Prior to his political career, he held key leadership roles in multinational companies like Unilever and Coca Cola.

Mr Chilima, aged 51, has been vice-president of the southern African country since 2014.

He is married with two children.

THE PRESS RELEASE

Capital Hill, Lilongwe – The Office of the President and Cabinet wishes to inform the general public that the Malawi Defense Force Aircraft that left Lilongwe today, Monday 10th June 2024 at 09:17 Hours, carrying the Vice President, the Right Honourable Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, and nine others, failed to make its scheduled landing at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02

All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far. As such, the Commander of the Malawi Defense Force, General Valentino Phiri, has since informed His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera of the incident and the President has since canceled his scheduled departure for the Bahamas and ordered all regional and national agencies to conduct an immediate search and rescue operation to locate the whereabouts of the aircraft.

The public will be updated of any developments on the situation as facts are established

Bamba Colleen Zamba
SECRETARY TO THE PRESIDENT AND CABINET Monday, 10th June 2024