Malawi's Vice President, Saulos Chilima, and nine other people lost their lives in a plane crash while flying over the Chikangawa Forest Reserve, Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera announced on Tuesday.
The aircraft carrying Chilima disappeared on June 10 when it was heading to Mzuzu International Airport, located about 380 km north of the capital, Lilongwe, amid severe weather conditions, CNN reported.
The remains of the plane were located on Tuesday, after a search with drones that was delayed by the bad weather conditions in this Southeast African country, confirmed Chakwera hours after the discovery.
The search and rescue operation I ordered to find the missing plane carrying our vice president and nine other people has concluded. The plane has been found," he explained.
"I am deeply saddened and regret to inform you that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy," Chakwera declared.
The Malawian president explained that the plane was found "completely destroyed" in the Chikangawa forest and added that "words cannot describe how heartbreaking this is and I can only imagine how much pain and anguish they must be feeling right now, as well as how much pain and anguish they will feel in the coming days and weeks as we mourn this terrible loss."
Chakwera paid tribute to his deputy, describing him as "a good man, a devoted father and husband, and a patriotic citizen who served his country with distinction."
Chilima, 51, had returned to Malawi on June 6 after attending the Korea-Africa Summit in Seoul last week. The accident occurred on June 10 while he was traveling on a military plane to the mentioned area of the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, the Malawi Defense Forces reported that they deployed drones and at least 200 soldiers to search for the plane in the Chikangawa forest reserve, where the last signals from the aircraft were received.
Commander Paul Valentino Phiri pointed out that the rescue operations had been delayed due to the bad weather conditions.
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