Lilongwe: A plane carrying Vice President of Malawi, Saulos Chilima, and nine other people failed to land at the scheduled time and went missing on Monday, CNN reported. According to statements from the presidential office and cabinet, VP Chilima and the other passengers boarded the Malawi Defence Force aircraft, which took off from Lilongwe at 9:17 a.m. local time (3:17 a.m. ET). According to authorities, the plane was supposed to land at Mzuzu International Airport, which is located approximately 380 km (240 miles) north of Lilongwe, reported CNN.
However, it never made it there and is no longer in the zone of the radar.
“All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” the presidential statement read.
“As such, the commander of the Malawi Defense Force, General Valentino Phiri, has since informed His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera of the incident, and the president has since canceled his scheduled departure for the Bahamas and ordered all regional and national agencies to conduct an immediate search and rescue operation to locate the whereabouts of the aircraft,” the statement added.
Currently, a massive search operation to locate the aircraft is underway.
Further details are awaited.
(Note: This is a developing story and further details will be added.)
from Latest News, Breaking News, LIVE News, Top News Headlines, Viral Video, Cricket LIVE, Sports, Entertainment, Business, Health, Lifestyle and Utility News | India.Com https://ift.tt/40sEZk1