Ambulances carrying the bodies of Malawi’s Vice President, Dr. Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Shanil Muluzi, and eight others who died in a military aircraft crash in Mzuzu have been lined up at a local aerodrome in Raiply, ready to be flown to Lilongwe.
An eyewitness account from the crash site reveals that a local councillor received a tip from a timber maker about a possible plane wreckage in the Nthungwa area of Chikangawa.
The councillor alerted the police, who then informed the search team at Raiply. Upon arrival, the team found the wreckage, with some bodies outside the plane and others inside.
The eyewitness described the scene as gruesome, with the front part of the plane heavily damaged and the rear part relatively intact.
“Dr. Chilima’s body and two other bodies were lying outside the plane.
Some five or so bodies were in the front side inside the plane, and three were in the backside inside the plane.
“The front part of the plane was the most damaged, with the rear part looking a bit intact,” the eyewitness reported.
The bodies have been removed from the plane and are awaiting transportation to Lilongwe.
