In a live, televised statement, Malawi’s President, Lazarus Chakwera, announced that Vice-President Saulos Chilima and nine other people had been killed in a plane crash after they were reported missing earlier on Monday.

"Words cannot describe how heartbreaking this is and I can only imagine how much pain and anguish you may all must be having at this point in time," Chakwera said, adding, "I consider it one of my greatest honours to be deputised by him in the last years."

The military plane, a Dornier 228-type twin-propeller plane delivered to Malawi’s military in 1988, which carried Chilima and the former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri while on their way to the funeral of an ex-minister, was found in a mountainous area, north of the country, in the Chikangawa forest.

Malawi is currently experiencing heavy rains in some regions, particularly in the North.

All seven passengers and three crew members were killed in the crash.

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Chilima, 51, was set to attend the funeral of Ralph Kasambara, a former minister of justice and attorney general, in the village of Chijere, east of Mzuzu. Kasambara, 55, was discovered dead after suffering heart failure last Friday, according to a government Facebook post.

Chilima has served as the vice president of the southern African country since 2014. Before his vice-presidency, he led the mobile network Airtel Malawi and worked at international companies as noted on his government profile.

Chilima is married with two children and holds a PhD in knowledge management from the University of Bolton, according to the government website.

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