Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera announced that Vice President Saulos Chilima (51 years old) and nine others were killed after their military plane crashed in a mountainous area in the north of the country. Chakwera stated in a live address broadcasted on state television that the wreckage of the aircraft was located after a search operation that lasted over a day in dense forests and mountainous terrain near the northern city of Mzuzu, confirming that there were no survivors from the incident.
He noted that former First Lady Chanel Kachale, the ex-wife of former President Bakili Muluzi, was also on board the plane, which carried seven passengers and three military crew members. The group was en route to Mzuzu to attend the funeral of a former government minister.
Chilima was serving his second term as Vice President, having held the same position from 2014 to 2019 during the presidency of Peter Mutharika. He was a candidate in the 2019 Malawian presidential elections. Chilima faced corruption allegations due to claims that he received money to influence the awarding of government procurement contracts to the armed forces and police in Malawi, but prosecutors dropped the charges last month. He denied these accusations; however, the case raised criticisms that Chakwera's administration had not taken a strong enough stance against corruption.
