Jun 11, Kathmandu- Nine people including Vice President Saulos Chilima and his wife have died in a plane crash in the Chikangawa Himalaya range in the Himalayan region of Malawi.

In a statement issued by the Office of the President and the Council of Ministers, the President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera, announced a national mourning on Tuesday.

On Monday morning, all aboard the military plane that took off from Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, died in the accident. Saulos Chilima and other officers on the plane were going to attend the funeral of the former Attorney General of Malawi.

Regarding the signal given to the plane from the airport, the air traffic officer said, "The pilot was advised to go to the capital after the plane could not land at Mjuju Airport, about 200 miles north of Lilongwe, due to poor visibility."

Speaking on television on Monday night according to local time, Chawera said that search and rescue operations will continue until Chilima's plane is found. Chilima, who has passed five years, was seen as a potential contender for the 2025 presidential election in Malawi.