Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima Killed In Plane Crash

Malawi’s Vice President, Saulos Chilima, and nine others were killed in a plane crash. Saulos Chilima's flight, which had left Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, disappeared from airport radars on Monday morning. President Lazarus Chakwera said that the plane has been found with no survivors. The military aircraft was reportedly flying in bad weather.

The Office of the President and Cabinet made the confirmation regarding the tragedy after more than a day-long search effort in a forested area in the mountains of northern Malawi. "Unfortunately, all on board have perished in the crash," the office of the president said in a statement, as quoted by CBS News. The Malawi Defence Force had deployed drones and at least 200 soldiers for the search operation. The president also said that former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, the ex-wife of former President Bakili Muluzi, was also on the plane. The group was traveling to Mzuzu to attend the funeral of a former minister.

Saulos Chilima, who had been the vice president of the southern African country since 2014, was considered a potential candidate in the next presidential election. According to the official profile, he holds a PhD in Knowledge Management and was the first Malawian to head Airtel Malawi, the leading mobile telecommunications company in the country. Later, Saulos Chilima left this role and entered Malawi's political scene.