Malawi vice president killed in plane crash along with 9 other passengers

 4:32 PM EDT, Tue June 11, 2024

Malawi State TV

The wreckage of the plane was located on Tuesday.

CNN — 

Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima has been killed in a plane crash along with nine other passengers, the country’s President Lazarus Chakwera announced Tuesday.

The aircraft went missing after it failed to land at the Mzuzu International Airport, about 380 km (240 miles) to the north of the capital Lilongwe. The wreckage of the plane has been located, Chakwera said in an address to the nation.

“The search and rescue operation I ordered to find the missing plane that carried our vice president and nine others has been completed. The plane has been found. And I am deeply saddened and sorry to inform you that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy,” Chakwera said.

The Malawian leader disclosed that the aircraft was found “completely destroyed” near a hill in the Chikangawa Forest in northern Malawi, adding that “words cannot describe how heartbreaking this is.”

Chakwera paid tribute to his deputy, describing him as “a good man, a devoted father and husband, (and) a patriotic citizen who served his country with distinction.

The Malawian leader highlighted the tragic nature of the accident, telling journalists that he had himself previously traveled on the same aircraft.

“Yet despite the track record of the aircraft and the experience of the crew, something terrible went wrong with that aircraft on its flight back to Lilongwe,” he added.

On Monday evening, the president had told journalists that air traffic control had advised the vice president’s plane against trying to land, and recommended turning back to the capital due to poor visibility. Not long after, the authorities lost contact with the aircraft, and started a search operation.

Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima is seen campaigning in 2019.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Malawi Defence Force said it had deployed drones and at least 200 soldiers to search for the plane at the Chikangawa Forest reserve where signals of its whereabouts were last received.

The Force Commander Paul Valentino Phiri said rescue operations had been delayed by bad weather conditions.

The vice president and nine other victims will all be laid to rest in “a dignified manner,” Chakwera said.

Their remains arrived in the capital Tuesday evening and were received by Chakwera, live visuals showed.