Vice-President of the Republic of Malawi Dr Saulos Chilima and nine others have been confirmed dead after the Malawi Defence Force (MDF) airplane MAF T03 that carried them and went missing, was found on Tuesday.
Among the nine are crew members Major Wales Aidin, Major Flora Seleman, former First Lady Shanil Muluzi, Dan Kanyemba and Abdul Kingstone Lapukeni.
Chilima and others were travelling to the burial of former Justice Minister and Attorney General Ralph Kasambara in his home village in Nkhata Bay and failed to land at Mzuzu Airport and were returning to Lilongwe International Airport.
In his address to the nation, President Lazarus Chakwera, visibly shaken and fighting back tears, said the plane crashed into a hill in Chikangawa Forest in Mzimba, leaving no survivors because of the impact.
Said the President: “The Malawi Defence Force commander [General Valentino Phiri] has informed me that the search and rescue operation, I ordered to find the missing plane that carried our Vice-President and nine others has been completed and the plane has been found.
“I am deeply saddened and 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 in the Chikangawa Forest and they found it completely destroyed, with no survivors, as all passengers on board were killed on impact.”
While disclosing that the government will ensure a dignified burial, Dr Chakwera also appealed to all political parties to unite in mourning the deceased.
“Dr Saulos 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 great honours of my life to have had him as a deputy and as a counsellor.
“I know that even others who were on that flight were men and women of honour who served their country with distinction and whose families have been left heartbroken.”
The news came barely a short time after pictures started circulating on social media.
Dr Chilima, aged 51, is survived by wife Mary and two children.
