Tragedy Strikes Malawi as Vice President Chilima and Nine Others Perish in Plane Crash

 BLANTYRE, Malawi, June 11 (Reuters) - Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima and nine others, including former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, met a tragic end when the military plane they were traveling in crashed, President Lazarus Chakwera announced on Tuesday.The aircraft, carrying Chilima, a prominent figure seen as a potential candidate in next year's presidential election, went missing on Monday, prompting a frantic search effort."I'm deeply saddened, I'm sorry to inform you all that it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy. The search and rescue team has found the aircraft near a hill. They have found it completely destroyed with no survivors," Chakwera said in an address to the nation.The plane, which departed from the capital Lilongwe at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT) on Monday, encountered poor visibility and was unable to land at Mzuzu airport as scheduled at 10:02 a.m. It was ordered to return to Lilongwe but went off the radar, with aviation authorities unable to establish contact.Chakwera confirmed that all passengers on board were killed on impact, and efforts were underway to repatriate their remains to the capital."Despite the track record of the aircraft and the experience of the crew, something terrible went wrong with that aircraft on its flight back to Lilongwe, sending it crashing down and leaving us all devastated," he said.Images circulating online depicted security and rescue personnel at the crash site on a hillside, with debris strewn around the tail of the Dornier 228-202K military transport plane, bearing the tail number MAF T03. Reuters has not independently verified the authenticity of the images.Chilima, aged 51, had recently returned from South Korea after attending the Korea-Africa summit. He and the other passengers were en route to the funeral of Malawi's former justice minister in the northern part of the country."Dr. Saulos Klaus Chilima was a good man, a devoted father and husband, a patriotic citizen who served his country with distinction, and a formidable vice president," Chakwera eulogized.The tragic incident has plunged Malawi into mourning, as the nation grapples with the loss of prominent figures and prepares to bid farewell to their respected leaders.