BREAKING: VP, Ex-First Lady Reportedly Dead In Malawi As No Survivor Was Found In Plane Wreckage (PHOTOS)

Malawian search teams have discovered the remains of an aircraft that was transporting Vice President Saulos Chilima, a military insider disclosed on Tuesday.

This followed the plane’s disappearance in adverse weather conditions the previous day.

The military plane, carrying Chilima, 51, and nine others, went missing on Monday after failing to land in Mzuzu due to limited visibility. The plane was directed to return to Lilongwe, but the crash site revealed no survivors.

Images provided to AFP by a member of the military rescue team showed soldiers on a misty hillside near wreckage identified as the Malawi Army Air Wing Dornier 228-202K aircraft.

President Lazarus Chakwera was scheduled to address the nation. Initially, it was uncertain if there were any survivors.

Rescue operations had been ongoing in a foggy forest south of Mzuzu on Tuesday after pinpointing the last transmission from the plane.

Previously, army commander General Paul Valentino Phiri stated that neighboring countries were contributing to the search efforts, providing helicopters and drones.

The group departed from Lilongwe shortly after 9:00 am (0700 GMT) on Monday to attend a funeral for a former cabinet minister in Mzuzu, around 370 kilometers (230 miles) away.

Former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri was also among those on board.

Chilima, first elected vice president in 2014, is a popular figure in Malawi, particularly among the youth. In 2022, during his second term, he lost his powers after being arrested and accused of involvement in a bribery scandal with a British-Malawian businessman. Last month, a court in Malawi dropped the charges, allowing him to resume his duties.

See photos from the scene below: