Wreckage of Malawi vice-president's plane found: military source

Photographs shared with AFP by a member of the military rescue team showed soldiers standing on a foggy slope near debris bearing the registration number of the Malawi Army Air Wing's Dornier 228-202K aircraft.

President Lazarus Chakwera was scheduled to address the nation. It was not immediately clear if there were any survivors.

Rescuers were combing a fog-shrouded forest south of Mzuzu on Tuesday, after authorities located the last tower it had transmitted to before the plane disappeared.

Earlier, army commander General Paul Valentino Phiri said other countries, including Malawi's neighbors, had contributed to the search efforts, with support including helicopters and drones.

The group left shortly after 9 a.m. (0700 GMT) Monday from Lilongwe to attend the funeral of a former minister about 370 kilometers (230 miles) away in Mzuzu.

Former Malawian first lady Shanil Dzimbiri was also on board.

First elected vice president in 2014, the charismatic but stern Chilima is a well-liked figure in Malawi, particularly among young people.

But in 2022, during his second term, Chilima was stripped of his powers after being arrested and charged with corruption in a corruption scandal involving a British-Malawian businessman.

Last month, a Malawi court dropped charges against him and he returned to official duties.

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