Malawi announces state funeral and 21 days of mourning for vice president

Nokusa Masuku

13.06.24

Malawan government has announced that the vice president Saulos Chilima will be honoured with a state funeral after his death in a plane crash along with eight other people.

President Lazarus Chakwera had already announced 21 days of national mourning on Tuesday, when the wreckage of the small military plane carrying Mr Chilima and a former first lady was discovered in a mountainous area in the country’s north.

Flags will fly at half-staff across the southern African nation during the period of mourning.

Meanwhile, a ministerial committee has been set to oversee preparations for Mr Chilima’s state funeral, the government said in a statement. No date was announced.

The President previously said that there were 10 people on the plane, but the government now says that a total of nine were on board when it crashed.