It has been confirmed that the second citizen, Vice President of Malawi and the President of United Transformation Party (UTM) Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima is deceased following the disappearing of the military plane he was in along with 9 other party and military representatives.
The development comes after 24hrs lapse of the plane’s disappearance. A search and rescue team operation was initiated by the Malawi President’s order which has resulted in the discovery of the plane in tatters today around 11 a.m. in the far end of the Chikangawa forest close to Lunjika turn off in Mzimba where the plane was suspected to have disappeared on the air rader.
According to the State of Nation Address, the President of Malawi Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera has confirmed that the Vice President along with 9 other passengers who were on the plane are dead following the plane crash which was a result of bad weather that made the plane fail to land at it’s destination, Mzuzu Airport.
Gen. Valentino Phiri, the commander of the Malawian armed forces, said on Tuesday that the thick forest and hilly terrain were making the search operation extremely difficult.
Around 600 personnel were involved in the search in a vast forest plantation in the Viphya Mountains near Mzuzu, authorities said.
All ten on board – seven passengers and three military crew – have been confirmed dead.
The president said the aircraft was a small, propeller driven plane operated by the Malawian armed forces.