A military aircraft carrying Malawi’s Vice President, Saulos Chilima, has been reported missing after failing to land yesterday morning, the government announced.
“All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” the government stated.
The plane, which took off just after 9:00 am local time (0700 GMT), was carrying 51-year-old Chilima and nine others.
President Lazarus Chakwera has ordered regional and national forces to conduct an immediate search and rescue operation to locate the aircraft, according to the statement.
Chakwera, who was scheduled to travel to the Bahamas for a working visit, has since canceled his trip.
In 2022, Chilima was stripped of his powers following his arrest and charges of graft in connection with a bribery scandal involving a British-Malawian businessman. Last month, a Malawian court dropped the charges after Chilima attended several court appearances.
