Malawi intensifies search for missing plane with vice president

The search for the missing plane carrying Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine other people will continue until it is found, President Lazarus Chakwera of the African country declared on Monday evening.

The Malawi Defense Force plane disappeared from radar on Monday during a flight from the country's capital, Lilongwe, to Mzuzu, 230 miles north. Contact with the crew has not been established since then.

- I am holding on to hope that we will find survivors, said Chakwera in a televised statement. He added that the search operation is focused on an area with a radius of 6 miles in a forest reserve.

Soldiers are still in the field and participating in the search. I have issued stringent orders that the operation should continue until the plane is found, added the president.

Chakwera canceled his planned trip to the Bahamas on Monday. He noted that the Malawi authorities have sought assistance in the search operation from neighboring countries' governments, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Norway, and Israel.

Chilima was travelling to Mzuzu to represent the government at the funeral of former minister Ralph Kasambara, who died three days earlier, reported the BBC.

Reuters says that Chilima, considered a potential candidate in next year's presidential elections, was arrested in 2022 on corruption charges. However, last month, a Malawi court dismissed these charges as the prosecution decided to drop the case. The vice president himself denied breaking the law.