Family members were at the main airport in the capital, Lilongwe, to receive the bodies on Tuesday evening. Photo / Malawi government 

Malawi has declared 21 days of national mourning in honor of Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others who were killed in a plane crash.

Chilima and other members of the group were flying on Monday towards a northern town in the country when the military plane went off airport radars while flying in bad weather.

The plane's wreckage was located on Tuesday in thick forests and hilly terrain near the town of Mzuzu.

The national mourning period begins on Tuesday June 11 to Monday July 1, the cabinet announced in a statement on Tuesday.

Flags at half-mast

President Lazarus Chakwera has directed that all flags be flown at half-mast throughout the period of mourning, it added.

The cabinet said details on the funerals for victims will be announced later.

The bodies of Chilima and the other victims have been flown to the capital, Lilongwe.

President Chakwera was accompanied by government ministers and other officials to receive the bodies at Kamuzu International Airport on Tuesday evening.

World leaders have been conveying their condolences to the families and the government of Malawi.

The Zambian Air Force helicopter carrying the body of Vice President Dr Saulos Chilima arrived in Lilongwe through...

Posted by Malawi Government on Tuesday, June 11, 2024

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TRT Afrika