Search Underway for Missing Aircraft Carrying Malawi Vice President and 9 Others

The government of Malawi has launched a search for a missing aircraft, which was carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine other individuals. The aircraft, operated by the Malawi Defense Force, departed from the capital city of Lilongwe at 9:17 a.m. on Monday. However, it failed to reach its scheduled destination, an airport in the northern part of the country, despite it being a short flight of less than an hour.

Following its departure, the aircraft vanished from radar, and all attempts to establish communication with it have been unsuccessful. The vice president was en route to Mzuzu to attend the funeral of the late Ralph Kasambara, Malawi's former attorney general. Aide Lucky Sikwese stated that adverse weather conditions in Mzuzu prevented the plane from landing at its intended destination.

Despite extensive efforts, including searches conducted by military and police personnel on foot and by vehicle, no potential crash site has been identified. The difficult terrain, characterized by dense forests in the northern region of Malawi, has posed challenges to the ongoing search operations.

Continued Efforts

As night descended, the search and rescue efforts continued, with authorities intensifying their endeavors to locate the missing aircraft and its passengers. The Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that the aircraft did not land at any airport within the country. The government and relevant agencies are working tirelessly to ascertain the whereabouts of the aircraft and its occupants.