BLANTYRE, Malawi — Troopers are looking out mountainous forests close to a metropolis in northern Malawi after a navy airplane carrying the nation’s vp and a former first girl went lacking within the space Monday, President Lazarus Chakwera mentioned.

The airplane carrying 51-year-old Vice President Saulos Chilima, former first girl Shanil Dzimbiri and eight others left the southern African nation’s capital, Lilongwe, at 9:17 a.m. and had been anticipated to land 45 minutes later at Mzuzu Worldwide Airport, about 370 kilometers (230 miles) to the north.

However air site visitors management instructed it to not try a touchdown and to show round due to unhealthy climate and poor visibility, Chakwera mentioned in an tackle broadcast dwell on state TV channel MBC.

Air site visitors management misplaced contact with the plane and it disappeared from radar a short while later, he mentioned.

“I do know it is a heartbreaking scenario. I do know we’re all frightened and anxious. I too am involved,” Chakwera mentioned. “However I wish to guarantee you that I’m sparing no obtainable useful resource to seek out that airplane. And I’m holding onto each fiber of hope that we are going to discover survivors.”

Mzuzu is Malawi’s third greatest metropolis and the capital of the northern area. It lies in a hilly, forested space dominated by the Viphya mountain vary, which has huge plantations of pine timber.

The president vowed that search operations would proceed by way of the night time and mentioned authorities utilizing telecommunications towers tracked the final recognized place of the airplane to a 10-kilometer (6-mile) radius in one of many plantations. That space was the main focus of the Malawi Protection Power search and rescue operation, he mentioned.

“I’ve given strict orders that the operation ought to proceed till the airplane is discovered,” Chakwera mentioned.

Chakwera mentioned the U.S., the U.Okay., Norway and Israel supplied help within the search operation and had supplied “specialised applied sciences” that the president hoped would assist discover the airplane sooner.

Chakwera mentioned Dzimbiri, the ex-wife of former President Bakili Muluzi, was additionally one of many passengers. The group was touring to attend the funeral of a former authorities minister. Three of these onboard had been the navy crew flying the airplane, the president mentioned.

Chakwera requested Malawians to hope for all these onboard and their households.

Chilima has been vp since 2020.

He was a candidate within the 2019 Malawian presidential election and completed third. That vote was gained by incumbent Peter Mutharika however was annulled by Malawi’s Constitutional Courtroom due to irregularities. Chakwera completed second in that election.

Chilima then joined Chakwera’s marketing campaign as his working mate in an historic election rerun in 2020, when Chakwera was elected president. It was the primary time in Africa that an election outcome that was overturned by a court docket resulted in a defeat for the sitting president.

The vp had been going through corruption prices over allegations that he obtained cash in return for influencing the awarding of presidency contracts, however prosecutors dropped the fees final month. That led to criticism that Chakwera’s administration was not taking a tough sufficient stance towards graft.

Chilima was arrested in late 2022 and made a number of court docket appearances, however the trial has but to start out. He has denied the allegations.

___

Imray reported from Cape City, South Africa.

___

AP Africa information: https://apnews.com/hub/africa