Plane Carrying Malawi’s VP Disappears Mid-Air, Search Attempt “Failed”

Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima, along with nine others, is missing after their military aircraft lost contact with aviation authorities shortly after takeoff from Lilongwe, the nation’s capital. 

The plane, which was en route to Mzuzu International Airport – about 370 kilometers to the north – failed to arrive at its scheduled time.

President Lazarus Chakwera has initiated an immediate search and rescue mission and has canceled his upcoming trip to the Bahamas. 

According to a statement from his office, all attempts to establish contact with the missing aircraft have been unsuccessful.

“All efforts to make contact with the aircraft since it went off radar have failed thus far,” BBC quoted the president’s office to have said.

Vice President Chilima was traveling to Mzuzu to attend the funeral of Ralph Kasambara, a former cabinet minister. 

Before his tenure in politics, Chilima held prominent positions at global corporations such as Unilever and Coca-Cola.