Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima, 9 Others Confirmed Dead In Military Plane Crash

• On Monday, June 10, a helicopter carrying Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima failed to make a scheduled landing at Mzuzu International Airport
• Following the search, the helicopter wreckage was located in Chikangawa Forest, with all its occupants dead
• Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera confirmed the news, saying the death of his deputy was painful for the country

Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.

Malawi Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine other passengers have been confirmed dead following a tragic helicopter crash on Monday, June 10.

Where was the plane carrying Saulos Chilima found?

Following hours of searching, the missing plane was located in Chikangawa Forest, with all its occupants dead.

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Saulos Chilima: Aircraft carrying Malawi vice president and 9 others goes missing

Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera confirmed the deaths of Chilima and nine others after the plane they were travelling in fatally crashed.

He made the remarks during a national address on Tuesday, June 11.

"Despite the experience of the aircraft crew, something terrible happened to that aircraft sending it crashing down and killing everyone on board. I understand these feelings of pain and helplessness because I feel them too. It is important that we comfort each other now and the weeks to come as we mourn together," Chakwera said.

The president described Chilima as a good and patriotic citizen, adding that it was his honour to work with him for four years.

He was a good man and a patriotic citizen. It was an honour to have him as my deputy in the past 4 years," Chakwera said.

Where was Saulos Chilima's plane supposed to land?

Earlier, a statement from the president's office indicated that the Malawi Defence Force aircraft "went off the radar" after leaving the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday, June 10.

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According to the statement, the plane carrying Chilima and nine other passengers failed to land at Mzuzu International Airport at 10.02 am.

After the plane failed to land, the Malawi president ordered a search and rescue operation after aviation officials could not contact the aircraft.

The incident has forced Malawi's president to cancel his scheduled flight to the Bahamas.

How Iran President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash

The incident comes less than a month after Iran President Ebrahim Raisi died after his chopper crashed near Jolfa in East Azerbaijan province on Sunday, May 19.

Among the other killed passengers were eight high-ranking officials, including Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem, the representative of the Iranian supreme leader to the province.

Despite the crash occurring at 1 pm, locating the downed helicopter and its occupants proved challenging, prolonging the rescue mission until the dawn hours of Monday, May 20.

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Raisi had participated in the inauguration of a dam alongside Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev on May 18.

Source: TUKO.co.ke