The Vice President of Malawi dies in a plane crash

The Vice President of Malawi, Dr. Saulos Chilima, and 9 other people including his wife, lost their lives when the plane they were traveling in crashed in the Chikangawa mountains.

In a statement today Tuesday, the government has confirmed that all those who were in the plane that crashed yesterday morning have lost their lives. President Lazarus Chakwera has declared Tuesday a national day of mourning.

The announcement was made on Tuesday morning in a statement by the Office of the President and the Council of Ministers, which said, "unfortunately, all those on board have perished in the accident," which occurred on Monday morning after the military plane carrying them took off from the capital, Lilongwe.

Chilima and other passengers were on their way to attend the funeral of the country's former attorney general when their plane disappeared from the radar. Air traffic officials said the plane was unable to land at Mzuzu airport, about 200 miles north of the capital, due to poor visibility, and the pilot was advised to return to Lilongwe when the plane disappeared.

Chilima, who was 51 years old, was seen in Malawi as a candidate who could give tough competition to Chakwera in next year's presidential election.

He has been the vice president since 2020. He was a candidate in Malawi's presidential election in 2019 and finished third, behind the outgoing president Peter Mutharika, and Chakwera. The result was later overturned by the Constitutional Court of Malawi due to flaws. Chilima then joined Chakwera's team as a co-candidate in the second round of the historic election in 2020, where Chakwera was elected president.