Malawi's Vice President Saulos Chilima Dies in Tragic Aircraft Crash


Malawi's Vice President Saulos Chilima has passed away. President Lazarus Chakwera announced his death during a press briefing on Tuesday afternoon.

A military aircraft carrying Malawi's Vice President went missing on Monday morning, causing global concern over the fate of its occupants. The aircraft, carrying 51-year-old Vice President Saulos Chilima, departed from the capital, Lilongwe, at 9:17 am (0717 GMT) but was unable to land at Mzuzu airport as scheduled at 10:02 am due to poor visibility. Ordered to return to the capital, the aircraft subsequently went off the radar, and aviation authorities lost contact with it.

It was at that point that President Chakwera ordered a search and rescue operation conducted by the MDF after he received the report at 3 pm. By that time, signals from telecommunication towers in the area had established that the plane was located within a 10km radius of Raiply.

"I am deeply saddened to inform you all that this has turned into a terrible tragedy. The search and rescue team has located the aircraft near a hill, finding it completely destroyed with no survivors," said President Chakwera.

In the address to the nation, President Chakwera stated that the crash site was in a mountainous area of the Chikangawa Forest.


"Despite the experience of the crew, something terrible happened to that aircraft sending it crashing down and killing everyone on board," Chakwera said. He acknowledged that this tragedy cannot lessen the pain and helplessness everyone feels.

"I understand this feeling because I feel them too. It is important that we comfort each other now and the weeks to come as we mourn together,' he added.

"He was a good man, patriotic citizen. It was an honor to have him as my deputy in the past four years."

Chilima died alongside nine others on board the Malawi military aircraft. The Malawian Defence Force reported that the aircraft went off radar after departing from Lilongwe on Monday morning.

“All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” said Collen Zamba, Secretary to the Office of the President and Cabinet.

Chilima, born on February 12, 1973, was first sworn in as Vice President of Malawi on May 30, 2014, and began his second term on June 28, 2020. He was the first Malawian to head Airtel Malawi, the country's leading mobile telecommunications company. Before that, he held senior sales and marketing positions in the banking sector and the fast-moving consumer goods sector, working with companies like Leasing and Finance Company, Unilever Malawi, Coca-Cola, and Carlsberg.

Chilima, who was considered a potential candidate for next year's presidential election, was arrested in 2022 on graft allegations. However, a Malawi court dropped the charges last month after the director of public prosecutions filed a notice to discontinue the case. Chilima has denied any wrongdoing.

He leaves behind a widow and two children. 


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