Malawi Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima has been confirmed dead in a plane crash that resulted in the loss of all lives onboard. According to reports, Mr. Saulos Chilima was planning to vie as president in next year general elections
In a statement, the secretary to the president Colleen Samba said the plane that had gone missing had been found in Chikangawa forest.
"The aircraft which was carrying the Vice President Dr. Saulos Chilima and nine others was found this morning in Chikangawa forest. Unfortunately, all on board have perished in the plane crash," read the statement.
The aircraft crashed in the Chikangawa forest, killing the official, according to report. The vice president was heading to a funeral of lawyer Ralph Kasambara, but his aircraft failed to land at the airport and turned back. Contact with the plane was lost afterward.
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According to verified reports, Chilima took off from the airport in the capital of Lilongwe and headed toward the Mzuzu Airport in the country’s north, before disappearing on the way back. It is still unclear whether he was flying a helicopter or a plane, the newspaper said. The total number of people onboard was nine or 10.
President Lazarus Chakwera’s office said the plane went missing and the president canceled trips to the Bahamas and Switzerland.
