Nine people perished in a plane that was carrying Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima and others in a deadly crash on Tuesday, June 11. The aircraft disappeared on Monday, June 10, and it set the stage for a search and rescue mission. The aircraft was later recovered from Chikangawa Forest with accolades of death claimed on board.
Then, early Tuesday, the president’s secretary, Colleen Samba, confirmed the sad reality. The Office of the President and Cabinet also liberally put out an official announcement of the accident. It is reported that the search operation has been conducted in mountainous forests in northern Malawi after a plane carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine other people disappeared.
The plane with former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri had taken off from the country’s capital city. Some well-known people were passengers on the train. However, before their failed crash landing, air traffic control in Mzuzu had warned the pilots against undertaking landing as it was raining and visibility was low. Nonetheless, some warnings about its position were made, and then communication with the aircraft was lost, and finally, it vanished from the radar screen.
This led to a search and rescue mission being launched to locate the missing plane and its passengers through the cooperation of the relevant government and rescue departments. The search teams were able to only operate for a few hours each day, which presented them with a difficult task, as the area is mountainous with thick forests. Despite these, they scoured the area for hours and finally found the wreckage in Chikangawa Forests – more than what they had bargained for.
President Lazarus Chakwera condemned the tragedy of the ministers of the vice president Chilima and other people, stating that he feels deep sadness over their passing. He then saluted Chilima for commitment and service, pointing out that he had served the nation. The former First Lady of Zimbabwe was also mentioned and felt for support and early passing away.
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