Mystery surrounds disappearance of Malawi Vice President’s aircraft

A military aircraft carrying Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima went missing on Monday after it failed to land, according to a government statement.

The aircraft, which departed shortly after 9:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT), was transporting the 51-year-old vice president along with nine other passengers. Aviation authorities have been unable to reestablish contact with the plane since it disappeared from radar.

“All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” the government said in a statement.

President Lazarus Chakwera has mobilized regional and national forces for an urgent search and rescue mission. He has also canceled his planned working visit to the Bahamas to oversee the situation.

Chilima’s political career has faced turbulence; in 2022, he was arrested and charged with corruption related to a bribery case involving a British-Malawian businessman. However, a Malawian court dismissed the charges last month after Chilima attended several court hearings.

The nation waits anxiously for news on the whereabouts of the vice president and his fellow passengers as search efforts continue.