Malawi President Dr. Lazarus Chakwera is scheduled to address the nation at 11 PM regarding the alarming disappearance of the Vice President’s plane, State House has announced.
The Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima was traveling to Mzuzu City for the burial of Lawyer Raphael Kasambara in Nkhatabay District. According to officials at Mzuzu International Airport, severe weather conditions made it unsafe for the plane to land, prompting a return to Lilongwe, where it subsequently vanished from radar. This incident occurred in the morning, initially dismissed as mere social media speculation.
The situation took a grave turn when the Malawi government, through the Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Collen Zamba, officially confirmed the plane’s disappearance.
Zodiak Online Media, known for its staunch independence, initially reported on social media that sources claimed to have witnessed a plane crash near the Raiply area in Chikangawa Forest. The post by Innocent Kumchedwa was later edited or removed due to the sensitivity of the developing situation. Times Media also approached the coverage cautiously during their impromptu Kwagwanji Program.
President Lazarus Chakwera, who had planned a trip to the Bahamas tonight, has since canceled his travel to monitor the situation involving his Vice President. Meanwhile, Malawians remain hopeful as the Malawi Defence Force has been deployed to search the Chikangawa Forest area, where the transponder signal is believed to have been last detected.
The passenger list includes His Honour Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima, Mr. Lukas Kapheni, Mr. Chisomo Chimaneni, Ms. Gloria Mtukule, Ms. Shanil Dzimbiri, Mr. Dan Kanyemba, and Mr. Abdul Kingstone Lapukeni.
“All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far. As such, the Commander of the Malawi Defence Force, General Valentino Phiri, has since informed His Excellency Dr. Lazarus Chakwera of the incident and the President has since cancelled his scheduled departure for the Bahamas and ordered all regional and national agencies to conduct an immediate search and rescue operation to locate the whereabouts of the aircraft,” reads the statement by Collen Zamba.
The statement concluded:
“The public will be updated of any developments on the situation as facts are established.”
The latest development as confirmed by Shire Times is that Madam Mary Chilima was not aboard the plane.
This is a developing story and we will keep on updating the page for the latest development on the issue…. keep refreshing the website link for the latest update.
