The 51-year-old Malawian Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine other people died when the military plane they were traveling in crashed due to bad weather in a mountain region in the north of the country, the president said on Tuesday.
President Lazarus Chakwera announced in a live address on state television that the wreckage of the plane had been located after a search of more than a day in thick forests and hilly terrain near the northern city of Mzuzu. He said the wreckage was found near a hill where the plane had been “destroyed” and everyone onboard was killed on impact.
Chakwera said he had been informed by the head of Malawi’s armed forces that the plane had been found and “I am deeply saddened and sorry to inform you all that it has turned out to be a tragedy.”
“Words cannot describe how heartbreaking this is and I can only imagine how much pain and anguish you all must be feeling at this time, as well as how much pain and anguish you all will be feeling in the coming days and weeks as we mourn this terrible loss,” Chakwera said.
He said Chilima was “a good man, a devoted father and husband, a patriotic citizen who served his country with distinction, and a formidable vice president.”
Chakwera asked everyone to observe a moment’s silence and stood with his head bowed at the podium where he was making his address.
Former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, the ex-wife of former President Bakili Muluzi, was also on the plane, the president had said. There were seven passengers and three military crew members onboard.
The group was traveling to Mzuzu to attend the funeral of a former government minister. Chilima had just returned from an official visit to South Korea on Sunday
Air traffic controllers told the plane not to attempt a landing at Mzuzu’s airport because of bad weather and poor visibility and asked it to turn back to Lilongwe, Chakwera said in an address late Monday night. Air traffic control then lost contact with the aircraft and it disappeared from radar, he said.
Chakwera expressed his thanks for assistance from the US, the UK, Norway, and Israel, who provided specialized technologies to aid in the search.
The military is transporting the remains of Dr Chiima and the other victims to Lilongwe, the president said, adding that funeral arrangements will be announced in due course.
Dr Chilima had been vice-president of Malawi since 2014.
He was widely loved in Malawi, particularly among the youth, AFP news agency reports.
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