Soldiers searching for missing Malawi military plane carrying vice president and 9 others

BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Troopers are looking hills and forests close to a metropolis in northern Malawi after a navy airplane carrying the nation’s vp went lacking within the space Monday, President Lazarus Chakwera mentioned.

The airplane carrying 51-year-old Vice President Saulos Chilima and 9 others left the southern African nation’s capital, Lilongwe, at 9.17 a.m. and was anticipated to land 45 minutes later at Mzuzu Worldwide Airport, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) to the north. However air site visitors management instructed it to show round due to unhealthy climate and poor visibility, Chakwera mentioned in an deal with broadcast dwell on state TV channel MBC. The plane disappeared from radar a short while later, he mentioned.

“I do know it is a heartbreaking scenario. I do know we’re all frightened and anxious. I too am involved,” Chakwera mentioned. “However I need to guarantee you that I’m sparing no obtainable useful resource to search out that airplane. And I’m holding onto each fiber of hope that we are going to discover survivors.”

Mzuzu is Malawi’s third greatest metropolis and the capital of the northern area. It lies in a hilly, forested space dominated by the Viphya mountain vary, which has huge plantations of pine timber.

The president vowed that search operations would proceed via the evening.

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“I’ve given strict orders that the operation ought to proceed till the airplane is discovered,” Chakwera mentioned.

Chakwera mentioned the U.S., the U.Okay., Norway and Israel provided help within the search operation.

Chilima has been vp since 2020.

He was a candidate within the 2019 Malawian presidential election and completed third. That vote was gained by incumbent Peter Mutharika however was annulled by Malawi’s Constitutional Courtroom due to irregularities. Chakwera completed second in that election.

Chilima then joined Chakwera’s marketing campaign as his operating mate in an historic election rerun in 2020, when Chakwera was elected president. It was the primary time in Africa that an election end result that was overturned by a courtroom resulted in a defeat for the sitting president.

The vp had been going through corruption prices over allegations that he obtained cash in return for influencing the awarding of presidency contracts, however prosecutors dropped the costs final month. That led to criticism that Chakwera’s administration was not taking a tough sufficient stance towards graft.

Chilima was arrested in late 2022 and made a number of courtroom appearances, however the trial has but to start out. He has denied the allegations.

Imray reported from Cape City, South Africa.