Soldiers are scouring mountainous forests near Mzuzu, a city in northern Malawi, for a military plane that went missing on Monday while carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri. The aircraft departed from the capital, Lilongwe, at 9:17 a.m., and lost contact with air traffic control after being advised to turn back due to bad weather and poor visibility. The aircraft, carrying ten people, including three military crew members, disappeared from radar shortly afterwards.
President Lazarus Chakwera, in a live address on state TV, expressed his deep concern and commitment to the search effort, emphasizing that no resources would be spared in finding the missing plane. The search operation, which focuses on a 10-kilometer radius in the Viphya mountain range’s forested area, will continue through the night. International assistance from the U.S., U.K., Norway, and Israel, including specialized technologies, has been enlisted in the search.
The plane was en route to a funeral for a former government minister when it went missing. President Chakwera urged Malawians to pray for the passengers and their families during this challenging time.
Vice President Chilima, who has been in office since 2020, faced corruption charges in the past, which were recently dropped, leading to criticism of the government’s anti-corruption stance. Chilima had been a candidate in the 2019 presidential election and later joined Chakwera’s successful campaign in the 2020 election rerun.
