Malawi Vice President and former first lady killed in Plane crash
Nearly a day after Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima’s plane disappeared after take-off from the capital city of Lilongwe at 09:17 am (0717 GMT), President Lazarus Chakwera addressed the nation, confirming the worst.
Search and rescue teams of the Malawi Defence Forces discovered debris trails in the Chikangawa Forest, which led them to discover the crashed aircraft with no survivors. Initial inspection determined that the aircraft had crashed in the upper Chikangawa Mountain range.
President Lazarus said he was devastated by the unfortunate loss of the former First Lady of Malawi, Shanil Zhimbri, who was also aboard the flight. He said during a televised address to the nation, “I’m deeply saddened. I’m sorry to inform you all that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy. The search and rescue team has found the aircraft near a hill; they have found it completely destroyed with no survivors.”
The plane involved in the disappearance of Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others is a Dornier 228 – a twin-turboprop STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft.
This particular model was designed and built by Dornier GmbH which later became part of DASA… pic.twitter.com/BK0qUMTNMH
— Cyprian, Is Nyakundi (@C_NyaKundiH) June 10, 2024
He reported that the commander of the Malawi Defense Force informed him that the Dornier twin-propeller airplane’s registration number, 228-202K, matched the missing aircraft’s registration as well as other markings of the Malawi Air Force.
The flight was carrying seven passengers and three military flight personnel from Lilonwe to Mzuzu airport and was scheduled to land at 10:02 a.m. However, bad weather and poor visibility forced the pilots to abort landing and return to Lilonwe. Shortly after, the flight vanished from ATC’s (Air Traffic Control) radar screens.
Who was Vice President Saulos Chilima?
At 51 years old, Vice President Saulos Chilima was a corporate executive before gaining massive success in mainstream politics upon his entry in 2014 as the vice president of former President Arthur Peter Mutharika.
In 2019, he ran for president but finished third behind the incumbents, Mutharika and Chakwera. But after allegations of bribery for awarding defense contracts emerged in Mutharika’s administration, the country’s highest court annulled the 2019 election and ordered a subsequent re-election.
In 2020, he formed a coalition with President Lazarus Chakwera, resulting in a historic election that resulted in Chakwera becoming president, defeating longtime President Arthur Peter Mutharika.
In 2022, he was also accused of bribery involving a British-Malawian businessman and sentenced to jail. Last month, a Malawian court acquitted him of his charges when all witnesses and other police officials retracted their statements without any reason. The incident had sparked mass protests about Chakwera’s administration’s covering for Chilima’s wrongdoings.
President Chakwera 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. I consider it one of the greatest honors of my life to have had him as my deputy and counselor for the past four years.”
Deceased Vice President Chilima leaves behind his wife Mary Chilima and his two children, Sean and Elizabeth. The tragic incident has brought about nationwide mourning, with citizens holding memorials for the unexpected losses.
Former Vice President of Malawi and 10 Others Killed in Flight Crash
The crashed aircraft carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima was also carrying former First Lady Shanil Dzimbri and other high-ranking officials when it crashed in the Chikangawa Forest Range. They were scheduled to attend the funeral ceremony of former Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Ralph Kasambara, who had passed away on Friday.
#malawimourns
Aircrafts carrying the body of Chilima and 9 others have left Raiply in Mzimba for Lilongwe.#CFMNews#Malawi pic.twitter.com/bxggrNjJfb— Capital FM Malawi (@CapitalFMMw) June 11, 2024
Malawi Defence Force officials indicated that poor visibility and bad weather conditions may have forced the pilots to turn back towards capital city Lilonwe, but something horrible happened onboard.
Commander of the Malawian Armed Forces, General Valentini Phiri, said the challenging forest terrain combined with dense vegetation created formidable obstacles impeding search and rescue operations.
President Chakwera thanked the extensive international support extended by the U.K., Norway, and Israel, which offered specialized reconnaissance equipment to search for the missing aircraft. The neighboring nations of Zambia and Tanzania also sent additional helicopters and drones to assist in the search operation.
