Aircraft carrying Malawi vice president missing, presidency says
Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima. Photo | REUTERS
What you need to know:
- The president ordered a search and rescue operation after aviation officials were unable to contact the aircraft.
An aircraft carrying Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others has gone missing, Malawi's presidency said on Monday.
"All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far," Malawi's Office of the President and Cabinet said in a statement.
Chilima, 51, was aboard a Malawi Defense Force aircraft that left the capital Lilongwe at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT), it said, adding that search and rescue operations were ongoing.
The aircraft had been scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02 a.m., according to the statement.
Other passengers on the flight include Mr Chilima's wife, Mary, and a number of officials from the vice-president's United Transformation Movement (UTM) party, according to BBC.
After being told of the incident by Defence Force's commander, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera cancelled his scheduled flight to the Bahamas.
“The public will be updated of any developments on the situation as facts are established,” the president's office said.
Mr Chilima was on his way to represent the government at the burial of former cabinet minister Ralph Kasambara, who died three days ago.
Mr Chilima, aged 51, has been vice-president of the southern African country since 2014.
He is married with two children.
