Malawi has announced a 21-day national mourning period to honor the late Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine others who died in a plane crash on Monday.
Chilima and the other passengers were en route to the northern province of Mzuzu when their military plane disappeared from radar amid bad weather on the return flight.
The wreckage was discovered on Tuesday in dense forest and rugged terrain near Mzuzu.
The mourning period runs from Tuesday, June 11, to Monday, July 1, as per the cabinet’s announcement.
President Lazarus Chakwera has ordered that all flags be flown at half-mast during the mourning period. Details about the funerals will be provided later.
The Malawi Defence Forces transported the bodies of Chilima and the other victims to the capital, Lilongwe.
President Chakwera, along with cabinet ministers and aides, received the bodies at Kamuzu International Airport on Tuesday evening.
World leaders have expressed condolences to the families and the Malawi government.
Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu extended his sympathies to President Chakwera and the Malawian people over the loss of Vice-President Chilima and other officials in the crash.
African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Mahamat also expressed his sorrow, noting that no survivors were found in the search and rescue mission.
“The Chairperson reiterates the African Union’s strong solidarity with H.E President Lazarus Chakwera, the Government, and the People of Malawi during this difficult time, with prayers for the peaceful repose of the souls of the departed,” the statement read.
