Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has confirmed the death of Vice President Saulos Chilima and 9 others in a plane crash.

The Malawi Defence Forces (MDF) aircraft carrying Chilima “went off radar” after leaving Lilongwe on Monday, June 10 at 9:17 am.

The aircraft was supposed to make its scheduled landing at Mzuzu International Airport at 10:02 am, but it failed to do so.

On the evening of the same day, Malawi authorities released a statement saying that all efforts to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar “have failed thus far.”

Efforts to trace the aircraft continued Tuesday, June 11 morning. Its wreckage was found in the Chikangawa Forest.

“Unfortunately, all on board have perished in the crash,” a statement from Colleen Zamba, the secretary to the President and Cabinet, says.

Chilima had just returned from a trip in South Korea where he represented President Chakwera at the Korea-Africa Summit.

He decided to fly to a funeral of former Attorney General and Justice Minister Ralph Kasambala in Mzuzu in order to be back in Lilongwe in time to see off President Chakwera.

The head of state was supposed to leave today for the Bahamas, a trip that he has now shelved because of the aviation tragedy.

Consequently, President Lazarus Chakwera has declared a national day of mourning and has ordered that all flags fly at half-mast from today until the day of the funeral.