Malawi’s vice president and nine others killed in plane crash

“The search and rescue team found the aircraft… completely destroyed, there were no survivors as all passengers on board were killed on impact,” Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera said in his address to the nation.

“Words cannot describe how heartbreaking this is,” he said, describing the accident as a “terrible tragedy.”

In photos provided to AFP by a member of the military rescue team, an army personnel can be seen standing on a misty hillside near debris bearing the registration number of the Malawi Army Air Wing’s Dornier 228-202K aircraft.

Rescue workers combed a foggy forest south of Mzuzu on Tuesday after authorities found the last radio tower to which the plane had transmitted before it disappeared.

Army Commander General Paul Valentino Phiri had previously stated that other countries, including Malawi’s neighbouring countries, had also supported the search operation with the help of helicopters and drones.

The group left Lilongwe shortly after 9:00 a.m. (07:00 GMT) on Monday to attend the funeral of a former cabinet minister in Mzuzu, about 370 kilometers away.

Malawi’s former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri was also on board.

Chakwera said he had flown the same aircraft before on similar trips. The crew had flown it successfully just hours before the accident, he added.

“And yet, despite the aircraft’s track record and the crew’s experience, something terrible went wrong on the return flight to Lilongwe and the plane crashed,” he said.

Chilima, who was first elected vice president in 2014, was a charismatic yet tough-talking figure in Malawi, especially among young people.

But in 2022, during his second term, Chilima was removed from power after being arrested and charged with corruption in connection with a bribery scandal involving a British-Malawian businessman.

Last month, a Malawian court dropped the charges and he resumed official duties.

“Chilima was a good man, a devoted father and husband, a patriotic citizen who served his country with distinction, and an impressive vice president,” Chakwera said.

“I consider it one of the greatest honors of my life to have had him as my deputy and advisor for the past four years.”