Malawi's Vice President Dies in Plane Crash
Malawi's Vice Pres. Saulos Chilima and nine others have been killed in a plane crash, Pres. Lazarus Chakwera said Tuesday after rescuers found the wreckage of the military aircraft....
Facts
- Malawi's Vice Pres. Saulos Chilima and nine others have been killed in a plane crash, Pres. Lazarus Chakwera said Tuesday after rescuers found the wreckage of the military aircraft.1
- Based on signals from telecom towers, the government narrowed the potential crash site to a 10-kilometer (6.2 mi) radius within and around the Viphya Plantation, also known as the Chikangawa Forest.2
- Earlier, Pres. Chakwera had said that neighboring countries, as well as Britain, Israel, Norway, and the US, had been assisting national and regional agencies in combing through the forests in Malawi's north.3
- Drones from the Malawi University of Science and Technology's African Drone and Data Academy had also been deployed to the area to help teams on the ground in the search.4
- Chilima and his group had taken off from the capital, Lilongwe, at about 9:17 a.m. local time to attend the funeral of a former attorney general and minister of justice in the northern city of Mzuzu.5
- However, authorities lost contact with the aircraft soon after warning it to turn around mid-flight due to poor visibility. Former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri is among the deceased.6
Sources: 1CNN, 2The Nation Online, 3New York Times, 4Malawi Broadcasting Corporation, 5Washington Post and 6BBC News.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by Washington Post. The Malawi government spared no effort and resources to locate Chilima's plane as soon as possible. This included contacting regional and development partners to assist search and rescue operations. However, it's a sad day for the country that the plane has been found with no survivors.
- Narrative B, as provided by Reuters. This is a very sad day and, unfortunately, one that needs a thorough investigation. The Malawi government significantly delayed starting search operations. In addition, the vice president's party was left in the dark, with access only to public information. Chilima was a potential candidate in next year's presidential election and there must be a detailed probe.
