LILONGWE: A military aircraft carrying Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima has been reported missing after it failed to make a landing on Monday morning, the government said.
The government’s statement confirmed the unsettling development, stating that all attempts to establish contact with the aircraft had been unsuccessful since it disappeared from radar. “All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” the government said in a statement.
The flight, which commenced shortly after 9:00 am local time, embarked on its journey with Chilima, 51, and nine other passengers on board. President Lazarus Chakwera has taken urgent action ordering both regional and national forces to initiate an immediate search and rescue operation to ascertain the whereabouts of the missing aircraft.
The gravity of the situation prompted President Chakwera to cancel his scheduled trip to the Bahamas for a working visit.
In 2022, Vice President Chilima faced a tumultuous period when he was stripped of his powers following allegations of graft related to a bribery scandal involving a British-Malawian businessman. However, last month saw a significant turn of events as a Malawian court dropped the charges against him after Chilima diligently attended multiple court appearances.
