The vice-president of Malawi and nine others have died in a plane crash, the country’s president has confirmed. The wreckage of the aircraft was found with no survivors.
Saulos Chilima and his entourage were flying within Malawi on Monday morning when their plane disappeared from airport radars. The military aircraft was navigating bad weather conditions at the time. Soldiers were dispatched to search Chikangawa Forest, where the plane was ultimately found.
In a news briefing on Tuesday, President Lazarus Chakwera announced that the search and rescue operation had concluded and the aircraft was discovered. He expressed his deep sorrow over the tragedy, noting that the rescue team found the plane completely destroyed.

Vice-President Chilima and President Chakwera come from different political parties but formed an alliance during the 2020 elections. Dr. Chilima, 51, was en route to represent the government at the burial of former government minister Ralph Kasambara, who had passed away four days prior. Also on board was former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri. The flight had departed from the capital, Lilongwe, and was scheduled to land in the northern city of Mzuzu, but was turned back due to poor visibility.
Dr. Chilima had served as vice-president since 2014 and was widely admired in Malawi, particularly among the youth. In 2022, he faced allegations of accepting money in exchange for awarding government contracts, but the charges were dropped last month without explanation.
Dr. Chilima is survived by his wife and two children.
More to follow as the story develops.