Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima and former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri were among the passengers on a military plane that went missing in the country’s northern region on Monday, according to President Lazarus Chakwera. The plane, carrying the Vice President, former first lady, and eight others, left the southern African nation’s capital, Lilongwe, at 9:17 a.m. on Monday and was expected to land 45 minutes later at Mzuzu International Airport. Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft a short time later due to bad weather and poor visibility. President Chakwera addressed the nation on a local TV channel, MBC, expressing his concern and assuring the public that all available resources were being used to find the plane. He said that authorities had tracked the plane’s last known position to a 10-kilometer radius in one of the plantations in the Viphya mountain range, and that the Malawi Defense Force was conducting a search and rescue operation in the area. The president also said that the U.S., the U.K., Norway, and Israel had offered assistance in the search operation and provided “specialized technologies” that he hoped would help find the plane sooner. The group was travelling to attend the funeral of a former government minister. Three of those onboard were the military crew flying the plane. President Chakwera has asked Malawians to pray for all those onboard and their families.
