Messages and Prayers pours in as reports floods the media that Malawi’s Vice President’s has been missing. Its reported that the plane carrying Dr Saulos Chilima and 9 others has been missing after it went off the radar. The Vice President was traveling to the Northern Region for the burial of late Ralph Kasambala, former cabinet minister of justice who has suddenly died last week.
A plane carrying Malawi’s Vice President (VP) Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine other people has gone missing after it failed to make a scheduled landing on Monday according to the presidential office. The Malawi Defense Force Aircraft carrying VP Chilima and others left the capital of Lilongwe at 9:17 am but did not reach its destination.
“All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” Malawi’s Office of the President and Cabinet said in a statement. The aircraft had been scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02 a.m., according to the statement.
The Malawi Defense Force aircraft “went off the radar” after it left the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning, said the presidential office. The president ordered a search and rescue operation after aviation officials were unable to contact the aircraft, as reported.
Chilima’s wife, Mary, and a number of officials from the vice-president’s United Transformation Movement (UTM) party were on the plane when it went missing. 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 the Malawi President.
Chilima was on his way to represent the government at the burial of former cabinet minister Ralph Kasambara, who died three days ago. He has been the Vice President of the landlocked African country since 2014. Before his career in politics, he held key leadership roles in multinational companies like Unilever and Coca Cola. He has two children.
This is a developing story. More details to be added.