Malawi Vice President Dies in Military Plane Crash... All Passengers Killed

Saulos Chilima, Vice President of Malawi, died in a military plane crash, Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera announced on the 11th (local time).

In a speech on the day, President Chakwera said, "There were no survivors in the military plane crash carrying Vice President Chilima and others," adding, "It ended in a terrible tragedy, and I express my deep sorrow and regret."

The military plane carrying a total of 10 people, including Vice President Chilima, went missing around 9:17 a.m. the previous day while en route from Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, to Kamuzu International Airport, where it was scheduled to arrive 45 minutes later. The accident occurred as the plane was unable to land due to poor visibility caused by bad weather. The pilot was instructed to return, but the plane disappeared from the control tower radar within minutes, and communication was lost.

They were traveling to attend the funeral of former Malawian Minister of Justice Ralph Kasambara. The central government of Malawi, local agencies, and military and police immediately launched search and rescue operations and found the bodies and wreckage of the military plane a day later.

Saulos Chilima, Vice President of Malawi, speaking at the Korea-Africa Summit
Photo by Yonhap News

Vice President Chilima joined the campaign as President Chakwera’s running mate in the 2020 presidential re-election. He was appointed vice president following Chakwera’s victory. He was expected to run in Malawi’s presidential election next year.

From the 4th to the 5th of this month, he visited South Korea to attend the Korea-Africa Summit held in Seoul and met with President Yoon Suk-yeol and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo.