US Embassy Provides Aircraft To Aid In Search For Malawi VP's Missing Plane

The United States Embassy in Malawi has availed a plane to assist in the search for a Malawi Air Force plane reported missing since Monday evening with Vice President Saulos Chilima and 9 others onboard.

In a statement, the United States Embassy in Lilongwe said that it had offered a U.S. Department of Defense C-12 aircraft for use in the search and rescue efforts. It said:

The U.S. Embassy [in] Lilongwe is deeply concerned by the news that the plane carrying Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others went missing yesterday morning.

With search and rescue operations underway, we are working with the Government of Malawi to offer all available assistance including the use of a U.S. Department of Defense C-12 aircraft.

We join President Chakwera in his prayers for the well-being of all those on board the Vice President’s plane.

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In a late-night national address at 11 PM, Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera said the MDF aircraft number MAF T03 left Mzuzu Airport at 7:05 AM and landed at Kamuzu International Airport (KIA) in Lilongwe at 7:48 AM to pick up the Vice-President and others to Mzuzu en route to Nkhata Bay to attend the funeral service of former Attorney General and Minister of Justice Ralph Kasambara who died on Friday.

He said the aircraft departed KIA at 9:17 AM but failed to land in Mzuzu due to poor visibility occasioned by bad weather that prompted aviation authorities to advise that they return to Lilongwe.

According to the President, besides Chilima, others on board were former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, Lukas Kapheni, Chisomo Chimaneni, Gloria Mtukule, Dan Kanyemba and Abdul Lapukeni.

The flight was operated by Colonel Sambalopa, Major Flora Selemani and Major Aidin from MDF.

UTM Party youth leader for the North Mzondi Mkandawire detailed how the search began. He said, as quoted by Nation:

The challenge is that the search started very late, a decision was made very late almost after three hours to start the search and we have just been walking around the roads doing the searching, which is not helping.

We came to start searching around Raiply because the phone of one of the people in the plane was calling and it was pinned to a tower around here. But we have searched around the place and there is nothing.

More: Pindula News