Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera has announced that the wreckage of a plane carrying Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others has been found, with no survivors.
The military aircraft carrying the passengers went missing from airport radars on Monday morning while flying in bad weather within the country.
President Chakwera, visibly saddened, informed the nation that the Malawi Defence Force had completed the search and rescue operation, and the plane was discovered completely destroyed. Chilima, 51, was on his way to attend the burial of a former government minister when the tragedy occurred.
The vice-president, who was widely beloved in Malawi, particularly among the youth, had teamed up with President Chakwera in a political alliance during the 2020 elections. Chakwera paid tribute to Chilima, describing him as “a good man”, “devoted father” and “formidable VP”.
“I consider it one of the great honours of my life to have had him as a deputy and as a counsellor,” he added.
The military is now transporting the remains of Chilima and the other victims to the capital, Lilongwe, where funeral arrangements will be announced in due course. Chilima is survived by his wife, Mary, and two children, Sean and Elizabeth.
This devastating accident comes just a year after Chilima was arrested and charged on allegations of accepting money in exchange for government contracts, which he strongly denied. The charges were later dropped last month, with no explanation provided by the court.
