<p>Blantyre: The airplane carrying Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima may have crashed in dense forest, but it has not yet been found, the military said on Tuesday.</p><p>Top military official Paul Valentino Phiri told reporters that search and rescue operations had been hampered by foggy weather around the Chikangawa Forest which was affecting visibility.</p><p>Chilima, 51, was aboard a military aircraft with nine others that left Lilongwe, the capital, at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT) on Monday.</p>.Blinken says Hamas signal of support for UN-backed Gaza truce deal is 'hopeful sign'.<p>The plane had been scheduled to land at Mzuzu airport at 10:02 a.m. but was unable to land due to poor visibility and was ordered to return to the capital, President Lazarus Chakwera said in a televised address to the nation on Monday.</p><p>Aviation authorities had failed to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar.</p><p>Malawi's information minister said the country had asked Angola's space agency for help finding the plane.</p><p>Chilima, seen as a potential candidate in next year's presidential election, was arrested in 2022 over graft allegations.</p><p>However, a Malawi court dropped the charges against him last month after the director of public prosecutions filed a notice for the case to be discontinued. Chilima has denied wrongdoing.</p>
<p>Blantyre: The airplane carrying Malawi's Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima may have crashed in dense forest, but it has not yet been found, the military said on Tuesday.</p><p>Top military official Paul Valentino Phiri told reporters that search and rescue operations had been hampered by foggy weather around the Chikangawa Forest which was affecting visibility.</p><p>Chilima, 51, was aboard a military aircraft with nine others that left Lilongwe, the capital, at 09:17 a.m. (0717 GMT) on Monday.</p>.Blinken says Hamas signal of support for UN-backed Gaza truce deal is 'hopeful sign'.<p>The plane had been scheduled to land at Mzuzu airport at 10:02 a.m. but was unable to land due to poor visibility and was ordered to return to the capital, President Lazarus Chakwera said in a televised address to the nation on Monday.</p><p>Aviation authorities had failed to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar.</p><p>Malawi's information minister said the country had asked Angola's space agency for help finding the plane.</p><p>Chilima, seen as a potential candidate in next year's presidential election, was arrested in 2022 over graft allegations.</p><p>However, a Malawi court dropped the charges against him last month after the director of public prosecutions filed a notice for the case to be discontinued. Chilima has denied wrongdoing.</p>