Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has announced that the country’s Vice President Dr Saulos Chilima has died in a plane crash.
He was with nine other people when the plane left Lilongwe yesterday morning.
The military plane had been scheduled to land at Mzuzu Airport but due to bad weather, it couldn’t and went off the radar afterwards.
Chakwera was addressing the nation in Lilongwe. “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.
The military aircraft left Lilongwe yesterday morning. It was scheduled to land at Mzuzu Airport, but due to bad weather, it couldn’t land and went off the radar.
The President added that the aircraft involved in the tragic incident had a history of successful flights, including previous trips by the Speaker.
“That aircraft is an aircraft I myself has used on similar trips, an aircraft that others had used just the day before, and an aircraft that the crew had operated successfully just hours before. And yet despite the track record of the aircraft and the experience of the crew, something terrible went wrong with that aircraft on its flight back to Lilongwe, sending it crashing down and killing everyone on board and leaving us all devastated and asking ourselves questions whose answers cannot take away the pain and helplessness we feel from this loss.”
Former Malawi President Peter Mutharika has called on Malawians to embark on the national prayer for the Vice President and the others who were on board.
