Search continues for missing aircraft carrying Malawi vice president

Malawi’s president on June 10 said he was sparing no resources in a search operation for a missing military aircraft carrying the country’s vice-president Saulos Chilima.

“I know that this is a heartbreaking situation... but I want to assure you that I am sparing no available resource to find that plane and I am holding on to every fibre of hope that we will find survivors,” President Lazarus Chakwera said, according to AFP.

The plane was carrying 51-year-old Mr Chilima and nine others and failed to land due to bad weather, according to the leader who was speaking in a televised address to the nation.

Malawi’s former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri (Muluzi) was also on board.

The group was travelling from the capital Lilongwe over 370km to the city of Mzuzu for the funeral of a former Cabinet minister.

The head of state dismissed claims published by local media that search operations had been discontinued for the night.