Soldiers are looking through mountainous forests in northern Malawi after an aircraft carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others went missing on Monday (June 10).

The plane carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri&nbsp;and eight others departed from the capital, Lilongwe, at 9:17 am. The aircraft was scheduled to land 45 minutes later at Mzuzu International Airport, approximately 370 km (230 miles) to the north.

According to President Lazarus Chakwera’s address on broadcast live on state TV channel MBC on Monday night, air traffic control in Mzuzu had informed the pilots not to try landing and instead to turn around because of bad weather and poor visibility.

Also read:&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/malawi-people-protest-over-exorbitant-amount-of-living" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/malawi-people-protest-over-exorbitant-amount-of-living&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjPrIKmv9KGAxUEXmwGHSRIA3oQFnoECAcQAQ&amp;usg=AOvVaw2ndHztpPX1P9E64hWk8aAh&amp;arm=e&amp;fexp=72519171,72519168" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/malawi-people-protest-over-exorbitant-amount-of-living" target="_blank">Malawi: People protest over exorbitant amount of living</a>

However, air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft and it disappeared from radar a short time later, he said.

"I understand this is a heartbreaking situation. We are all frightened and concerned, and I share those concerns," Chakwera stated.&nbsp;

"But, I want to assure you that I am utilising every available resource to locate that plane. I am clinging to every ounce of hope that we will find survivors."

The president further informed that the US, UK, Norway and Israel had offered assistance in the search operation and had provided “specialised technologies” that the president hoped would help find the plane sooner.

He further said that the search would continue throughout the night and that authorities had used telecommunications towers to track the last known position of the plane to within a six-mile radius of one of the plantations that surround Mzuzu.

“I have issued strict orders for the operation to continue until the plane is found,” Chakwera said.

Chilima&nbsp;had been due to attend the funeral of Ralph Kasambara, a former minister of justice and attorney general, in the village of Chijere, east of Mzuzu.&nbsp;

The former minister was found dead after suffering heart failure last Friday, according to a government Facebook post.

It may be mentioned here that&nbsp;Malawi is experiencing heavy rains in some parts of the country, especially the north.

Chilima has been vice president since 2014. He earlier led the mobile network Airtel Malawi, as well as worked at Unilever, Coca Cola and Carlsberg, according to his profile on the government’s website.

(With inputs from agencies)

Soldiers are looking through mountainous forests in northern Malawi after an aircraft carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others went missing on Monday (June 10).

Soldiers are looking through mountainous forests in northern Malawi after an aircraft carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine others went missing on Monday (June 10). The plane carrying Vice President Saulos Chilima, former First Lady Shanil Dzimbiri and eight others departed from the capital, Lilongwe, at 9:17 am. The aircraft was scheduled to land 45 minutes later at Mzuzu International Airport, approximately 370 km (230 miles) to the north. According to President Lazarus Chakwera’s address on broadcast live on state TV channel MBC on Monday night, air traffic control in Mzuzu had informed the pilots not to try landing and instead to turn around because of bad weather and poor visibility. Also read: Malawi: People protest over exorbitant amount of living However, air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft and it disappeared from radar a short time later, he said. "I understand this is a heartbreaking situation. We are all frightened and concerned, and I share those concerns," Chakwera stated. "But, I want to assure you that I am utilising every available resource to locate that plane. I am clinging to every ounce of hope that we will find survivors." The president further informed that the US, UK, Norway and Israel had offered assistance in the search operation and had provided “specialised technologies” that the president hoped would help find the plane sooner. He further said that the search would continue throughout the night and that authorities had used telecommunications towers to track the last known position of the plane to within a six-mile radius of one of the plantations that surround Mzuzu. “I have issued strict orders for the operation to continue until the plane is found,” Chakwera said. Chilima had been due to attend the funeral of Ralph Kasambara, a former minister of justice and attorney general, in the village of Chijere, east of Mzuzu. The former minister was found dead after suffering heart failure last Friday, according to a government Facebook post. It may be mentioned here that Malawi is experiencing heavy rains in some parts of the country, especially the north. Chilima has been vice president since 2014. He earlier led the mobile network Airtel Malawi, as well as worked at Unilever, Coca Cola and Carlsberg, according to his profile on the government’s website. (With inputs from agencies)

Malawi soldiers search mountain forests after plane carrying vice president disappears

Cyclone winds and floods that swept across southeastern Africa affected more than 2.6 million people and could rank as one of the worst weather-related disaster recorded in the southern hemisphere, UN officials said on Tuesday.

Rescue crews are still struggling to reach victims five days after Cyclone Idai raced in at speeds of up to 170 kph (105 mph) from the Indian Ocean into Mozambique, then its inland neighbours Zimbabwe and Malawi.

Aid groups said many survivors were trapped in remote areas, surrounded by wrecked roads, flattened buildings and submerged villages.

“There's a sense from people on the ground that the world still really hasn't caught on to how severe this disaster is,” Matthew Cochrane, spokesman for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told a UN briefing in Geneva.

“The full horror, the full impact is only going to emerge over coming days,” he added.

The official death count in Mozambique stands at 84 - but its president Filipe Nyusi said on Monday he had flown over some of the worst-hit zones, seen bodies floating in rivers and now estimated more than 1,000 people may have died there.

The cyclone hit land near Mozambique's port of Beira on Thursday and moved inland throughout the weekend, leaving heavy rains in its wake on Tuesday.

Studies of satellite images suggested 1.7 million people were in the path of the cyclone in Mozambique and another 920,000 affected in Malawi, Herve Verhoosel, senior spokesman at the UN World Food Programme said. It gave no figures for Zimbabwe.

Worst fears

Several rivers had broken their banks, or were about to, leaving a huge area covered by the waters, and only accessible by air and water, Lola Castro, WFP regional director for Southern Africa, told the UN briefing by phone from Johannesburg.

Heavy rains preceded the cyclone, compounding the problems, said Clare Nullis of the UN World Meteorological Organization said .

“It the worst fears are realised ... then we can say that it is one of the worst weather-related disasters, tropical-cyclone-related disasters in the southern hemisphere.” Droughts are classed as climate-related not weather-related.

In Beira, a low-lying coastal city of 500,000 people, Nullis said the water had nowhere to drain. "This is not going to go away quickly," she said.

Beira is also home to Mozambique's second largest port, which serves as a gateway to landlocked countries in the region.

The control room of a pipeline that runs from Beira to Zimbabwe and supplies the majority of that country's fuel had been damaged, Zimbabwe's Energy Minister Jorum Gumbo told state-owned Herald newspaper on Tuesday.

"We, however, have enough stocks in the country and I am told the repairs at Beira may take a week," he was quoted as saying.

Cyclone winds and floods that swept across southeastern Africa affected more than 2.6 million people and could rank as one of the worst weather-related disaster recorded in the southern hemisphere, UN officials said on Tuesday.

Cyclone winds and floods that swept across southeastern Africa affected more than 2.6 million people and could rank as one of the worst weather-related disaster recorded in the southern hemisphere, UN officials said on Tuesday. Rescue crews are still struggling to reach victims five days after Cyclone Idai raced in at speeds of up to 170 kph (105 mph) from the Indian Ocean into Mozambique, then its inland neighbours Zimbabwe and Malawi. Aid groups said many survivors were trapped in remote areas, surrounded by wrecked roads, flattened buildings and submerged villages. “There's a sense from people on the ground that the world still really hasn't caught on to how severe this disaster is,” Matthew Cochrane, spokesman for International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, told a UN briefing in Geneva. “The full horror, the full impact is only going to emerge over coming days,” he added. The official death count in Mozambique stands at 84 - but its president Filipe Nyusi said on Monday he had flown over some of the worst-hit zones, seen bodies floating in rivers and now estimated more than 1,000 people may have died there. The cyclone hit land near Mozambique's port of Beira on Thursday and moved inland throughout the weekend, leaving heavy rains in its wake on Tuesday. Studies of satellite images suggested 1.7 million people were in the path of the cyclone in Mozambique and another 920,000 affected in Malawi, Herve Verhoosel, senior spokesman at the UN World Food Programme said. It gave no figures for Zimbabwe. Worst fears Several rivers had broken their banks, or were about to, leaving a huge area covered by the waters, and only accessible by air and water, Lola Castro, WFP regional director for Southern Africa, told the UN briefing by phone from Johannesburg. Heavy rains preceded the cyclone, compounding the problems, said Clare Nullis of the UN World Meteorological Organization said . “It the worst fears are realised ... then we can say that it is one of the worst weather-related disasters, tropical-cyclone-related disasters in the southern hemisphere.” Droughts are classed as climate-related not weather-related. In Beira, a low-lying coastal city of 500,000 people, Nullis said the water had nowhere to drain. "This is not going to go away quickly," she said. Beira is also home to Mozambique's second largest port, which serves as a gateway to landlocked countries in the region. The control room of a pipeline that runs from Beira to Zimbabwe and supplies the majority of that country's fuel had been damaged, Zimbabwe's Energy Minister Jorum Gumbo told state-owned Herald newspaper on Tuesday. "We, however, have enough stocks in the country and I am told the repairs at Beira may take a week," he was quoted as saying.

1.7 million people affected by cyclone in Mozambique, 920,000 in Malawi: United Nations

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Malawi soldiers search mountain forests after plane carrying vice president disappears

1.7 million people affected by cyclone in Mozambique, 920,000 in Malawi: United Nations