- By Mayukh Debnath
- Mon, 10 Jun 2024 10:04 PM (IST)
- Source:Reuters
Malawi Vice President Plane Missing: A military aircraft with Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima onboard has been reported untraceable, the country's government said on Monday. According to the government, the aircraft was reported missing after it failed to make a landing on Monday morning.
Malawi Vice President Plane Missing: What The Govt Knows
"All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far," a statement from Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera's office said.
Malawi Vice President Aircraft Missing: What Happened?
Chilima, 51, was aboard a Malawi Defense Force aircraft that left the capital Lilongwe at 0917 local time (0717 GMT), the statement said, adding that search and rescue operations were ongoing. As per the government, there were nine others besides Chilima on the plane.
Malawi Vice President Missing: Flight Was To Last 45 Mins
The aircraft was scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport, about 370 kilometers to the north of Lilongwe, around 45 minutes after take-off. President Chakwera has called off a trip to the Bahamas, his office said. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02 am, the government said.
This comes barely three weeks after a Bell 212 helicopter crashed onto a mountain in Iran's East Azerbaijan province with then-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi onboard, claiming the leader's life. Besides Raisi, Iran's then-foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian and six others onboard the ageing Bell 212 also lost their lives in the crash. Raisi was laid to rest in the Iranian holy city of Mashhad later with thousands of mourners attending the funeral ceremony.
(With inputs from agencies)