Malawi's vice president Saulos Chilima was aboard a plane with nine others. AP
Malawi's vice president Saulos Chilima was aboard a plane with nine others. AP
Malawi's vice president Saulos Chilima was aboard a plane with nine others. AP
Malawi's vice president Saulos Chilima was aboard a plane with nine others. AP

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Malawi's vice president Saulos Chilima killed in plane crash

Former first lady Shanil Dzimbri also aboard military plane that crashed into hillside

The National

June 11, 2024

  • English
  • Arabic

A plane which crashed with Malawi's vice president Saulos Chilima on-board has been found with no survivors, President Lazarus Chakwera has said.

A search and rescue operation was launched after the plane, carrying nine others, went missing during a short flight from the capital of Lilongwe to Mzuzu airport in the north.

Mr Chakwera confirmed their deaths in a national address on Tuesday afternoon, saying no one survived.

“The plane has been found, and I am deeply saddened and sorry to inform you all, it has turned out to be a terrible tragedy,” he said.

Malawi's former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri was also reportedly on-board.

Pictures of the crash site showed the debris of a military plane scattered across a fog-covered hillside, where about 600 police officers, soldiers and forest rangers searched for the wreckage.

Neighbouring countries helped Malawi in an extensive search, which was made “extremely difficult” by the hilly and forested terrain, according to officials.

The US, Britain, Norway and Israel also offered assistance and provided “specialised technologies” that the President hoped would help find the plane sooner.

The plane left Lilongwe at 9.17am local time and was scheduled to arrive in Mzuzu 45 minutes later.

Air-traffic controllers told the pilots not to attempt a landing at Mzuzu due to bad weather and poor visibility and asked it to turn back to Lilongwe, Mr Chakwera said on Monday night.

Air traffic control then lost contact with the aircraft which disappeared from radar.

The group were travelling for the funeral of Ralph Kasambara, a prominent lawyer and former justice minister.

Their deaths come just weeks after Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, foreign minister Hossein Amirabdollahian and several others died in a helicopter crash in poor weather.

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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

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Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

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Updated: June 11, 2024, 11:32 AM
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