BLANTYRE, Malawi – Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera said he had asked for help from neighbouring countries as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel and Norway in the search for a missing military aircraft carrying the country’s vice president, Saulos Klaus Chilima.
Chilima, 51, was aboard a military aircraft with nine others that left Lilongwe, the capital, at 09:17AM. The plane had been scheduled to land at Mzuzu Airport at 10:02AM.
The plane was unable to land at the airport due to poor visibility and was ordered to return to the capital, Chakwera said in a televised address to the nation late Monday.
He said efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar had failed.
“I’m holding on to every fibre of hope that we’ll find survivors,” he said, adding that the search area was concentrated around a 10 km radius in a forest reserve.
“I have given strict orders that the operation should continue until the plane is found.”
He said Malawi had reached out to neighbouring countries, and the U.S., Britain, Norway and the Israeli governments for support in the rescue efforts.
Chilima, seen as a potential candidate in next year’s presidential election, was arrested in 2022 over graft allegations. However, a Malawi court dropped the corruption charges against him last month after the director of public prosecutions filed a notice for the case to be discontinued. Chilima has denied any wrongdoing. – Reuters
