A tragic incident unfolded during Malawi’s late vice president Saulos Chilima‘s funeral procession, where a vehicle in the convoy collided with mourners in Ntcheu village on Sunday night, resulting in the deaths of four people and injuring 12 others, according to police reports.
Chilima, who perished in a plane crash earlier in the week, was being transported in a motorcade comprising military, police, and civilian vehicles heading to his hometown of Nsipe, located 180 kilometers south of Lilongwe, for burial on Monday, declared a public holiday in his honor.
“Due to the impact, two female and two male pedestrians sustained severe head injuries and multiple fractures, succumbing while receiving treatment,” stated a police release. Peter Kalaya, a police spokesman, confirmed the injuries to AFP.
Thousands had lined the streets to pay respects to the vice president as his coffin passed through various locations. Eyewitnesses recounted chaotic scenes as the vehicle veered into the crowd amidst attempts to navigate through the dense throng.
Felix Njawala, spokesperson for Chilima’s party, acknowledged tensions along the route where mourners halted the procession demanding to view the coffin.
“In Dedza, people blocked the road and demanded to see the coffin.
Only when the convoy stopped were people pacified and the convoy was able to proceed,” he explained, noting incidents of stone-throwing at the convoy.
While addressing supporters’ concerns over the plane crash investigation, Njawala urged for calm and emphasized peace.
The United Transformation Movement (UTM), Chilima’s party allied with President Lazarus Chakwera’s Malawi Congress Party (MCP), had earlier called for an independent inquiry into the tragic accident.
Chakwera, speaking at a public viewing in Lilongwe, expressed the public’s desire for answers regarding the plane’s disappearance and crash.
The Malawi Army Air Wing Dornier 228-202K aircraft went missing in dense fog after being diverted from Mzuzu due to adverse weather conditions.
The wreckage was discovered in Chikangawa Forest, initiating investigations into the circumstances surrounding the fatal incident that claimed Chilima and eight others’ lives.
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