“Malawi VP Saulos Chilima Dies in Tragic Plane Crash”

Vice President Saulos Chilima of Malawi, his wife, and eight others died in a tragic plane crash near the Chikangawa mountain range, President Lazarus Chakwera confirmed on Tuesday. The President expressed deep sorrow over the incident, stating that the search and rescue team found the aircraft near a hill, completely destroyed with no survivors.

Despite the aircraft’s solid track record and the crew’s experience, something went terribly wrong on its return flight to Lilongwe, resulting in the devastating crash. It was scheduled to land at Mzuzu airport at 10:02 a.m., but poor weather and visibility conditions prevented the landing.

Air traffic officials reported that due to poor visibility, the plane couldn’t land at Mzuzu airport, located about 200 miles north of Lilongwe. The pilot was advised to head to the capital, but the flight vanished from radar. Aviation authorities lost contact with the plane, and President Chakwera confirmed that all passengers were killed on impact. The military is transporting their remains back to the capital.

Following the plane’s disappearance on Monday, several countries, including the United States, offered technological assistance to Malawi for the search operations.

Chilima, 51, was among the top potential presidential candidates for Malawi’s 2025 elections. He was arrested in 2022 on corruption allegations, with reports suggesting he had accepted kickbacks from a businessman for government contracts. However, Chilima denied these charges, which were eventually dropped by the national prosecutor in May this year, leading to the case’s discontinuation.