«This is a heartbreaking situation»
Only a few weeks have passed since Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash, and now one of the leaders of the African republic has been killed in a helicopter crash. Soldiers in Malawi search mountain forests after a plane with the country's vice president on board went missing.
Malawi President speaks of 'heartbreaking situation' after plane carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others went missing in bad weather, The Guardian writes.
Soldiers are combing the mountain forests of northern Malawi after a plane carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others went missing on Monday .
The plane, carrying Vice President Chilima, former first lady Shanile Dzimbiri and eight others, took off from the capital Lilongwe at 09:17 am and was due to land 45 minutes later at Mzuzu International Airport, about 370 km (230 miles) to the north.
President Lazarus Chakwera said live on state television MBC on Monday evening that air traffic control in Mzuzu had ordered pilots not to attempt to land and to turn around due to bad weather and poor visibility.
He said air traffic control lost contact with the plane and it soon disappeared from radar.
“I know this is a heartbreaking situation. I know we are all scared and worried. “I am also concerned,” said President Chakwera. “But I want to assure you that I will spare no resources to find this plane.” And I hope with every fiber of my soul that we will find survivors.”
Chakwera said the United States, Britain, Norway and Israel had offered to help with the search operation and provided “specialized technology” that the Malawian president hoped would help find the plane faster.
The African country's president said the search would be continue throughout the night and that authorities used telecommunications towers to track the plane's last known location within a 10 km (six miles) radius of one of the plantations surrounding Mzuzu, which is in an area dominated by the Viphyya mountain range.
“I have given strict orders to continue the operation until the plane is found,” Chakwera said.
The incident led to the President of Malawi canceling a planned visit to the Bahamas.
According to The Guardian, Vice President Chilima, 51, was due to attend the funeral of Ralph Kasambara, the former justice minister and attorney general, in the village of Chidgere, east of Mzuzu. Kasambara, 55, was found dead after suffering a cardiac arrest last Friday, according to a government post on social media.
Heavy rains are falling in some areas of Malawi, especially in the north.
Chilima has been the vice president of the South African country since 2014. He previously headed Airtel's mobile network in Malawi and also worked for Unilever, Coca-Cola and Carlsberg, according to his profile on the government website.
Saulos Chilima is reported to be married with two children. According to the government website, he received a PhD in knowledge management from the University of Bolton.