An aircraft carrying Malawi’s Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others has gone missing, according to a statement from the president’s office. The Malawi Defense Force aircraft “went off the radar” after departing from the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday morning.
A search and rescue operation was ordered by President Lazarus Chakwera after aviation officials lost contact with the aircraft. The plane was scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport in the country’s north shortly after 10:00 local time (11:00 BST).
Upon learning of the incident, President Chakwera cancelled his scheduled flight to the Bahamas. More updates will follow as the situation develops.