A military plane carrying Malawi’s vice president and nine others has gone missing, sparking a massive search operation.

AP News reports Vice President Saulos Chilima’s plane left the capital, Lilongwe, and failed to land at Mzuzu International Airport – about 230 miles north.

“All efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the Aircraft since it went off the radar have failed thus far,” the government wrote in a statement.

Here’s the full statement:

X user Malawi Elects wrote, “This Dornier 228 as used by the VP today, was purchased from Germany as a transport plane for the MDF some decades back and was long overdue for retirement. Two years ago, the MDF took delivery of two Xian MA600.” 

This Dornier 228 as used by the VP today, was purchased from Germany as a transport plane for the MDF some decades back and was long overdue for retirement. Two years ago, the MDF took delivery of two Xian MA600. pic.twitter.com/zFkgc9DJnZ

— Malawi Elects 🇲🇼 | 🗳️ (@MalawiElects) June 10, 2024

In an unrelated incident last month, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and the country’s foreign minister died in a helicopter crash. 

*Developing…