The government of Malawi has asked for help from neighbouring countries and development partners in the search for a military aircraft that went missing carrying the country's Vice President, Saulos Klaus Chilima, and nine others, on Monday. In a televised address to the nation, President Lazarus Chakwera said he was "sparing no available resource to find that plane, and I am holding on to every fibre of hope that we will find survivors." Hichilema said he had already asked for help.
"We have already contacted our neighbouring countries, as well as development partners, including the US government, the British government, the Norwegian government, and the Israeli government, who have all offered support in different forms, including the use of specialised technologies that will enhance our capacity to find the plane sooner, and I am most grateful for this support," he said. The president asked Malawians to be prayerful. The military aircraft was carrying mourners to Mzuzu for the funeral of former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Ralph Kasambara.
The plane was due to return to Lilongwe before Chakwera left on a working visit to the Bahamas. It is traditional in Malawi that senior government officials see off the head of state when he travels abroad; they also welcome him back in a similar fashion. Poor visibility brought on by bad weather prevented the plane from landing.
The flight was told to return to Lilongwe by aviation officials, but they soon lost communicatio.