Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima was laid to rest in his village south of the capital on Monday after a funeral where President Lazarus Chakwera urged for a thorough investigation into his death in a plane crash.
Chilima and nine others lost their lives in the plane crash last week in Malawi’s northern region of Mzimba.
The state funeral took place at the Bingu Bingu National Stadium in Lilongwe on Sunday, where Chakwera and other dignitaries bid farewell to the late vice president.
Hundreds of soldiers, police officers, and forest rangers searched for over 24 hours until they found the wreckage in a forest plantation south of Mzuzu.
The plane was en route from Lilongwe to the northern city of Mzuzu when it disappeared on Monday morning.
Chakwera had earlier stated that air traffic controllers had instructed the plane not to land in Mzuzu due to adverse weather and poor visibility, advising it to return to Lilongwe. Contact with the plane was subsequently lost.
During the burial, the military paid tribute with a 19-gun salute, followed by a solemn trumpet call and reveille.
Those who laid wreaths included Chakwera, all three of Malawi’s former presidents, and Chilima’s wife, children, and other relatives. The Chilima family also called for an independent investigation.