According to reports from the presidential office, a plane carrying Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Chilima and nine other individuals has gone missing after it failed to complete its scheduled landing on Monday.

Departing from Lilongwe, the capital, at 9:17 a.m. local time (3:17 a.m. ET), the Malawi Defense Force Aircraft was bound for Mzuzu International Airport, approximately 380 km (240 miles) to the north. However, it did not reach its destination and is currently untraceable by radar, as confirmed by authorities.

Despite ongoing efforts by aviation authorities to establish communication with the aircraft since it disappeared from radar, all attempts have been unsuccessful thus far, as stated in the presidential announcement.

In response to the situation, General Valentino Phiri, commander of the Malawi Defense Force, has briefed His Excellency Dr. Lazarus McCarthy Chakwera on the incident. Consequently, President Chakwera has canceled his planned trip to the Bahamas and has instructed both regional and national agencies to launch an immediate search and rescue operation to locate the missing aircraft.