A Malawian journalist, Cathy Maulidi, has refuted social media reports that the plane carrying Malawi vice president Saulos Chilima has been found.
A military plane that was carrying Malawi’s vice president and nine others was declared missing on Monday, June 10, 2014.
A search is under way, the president’s office has said.
The plane carrying 51-year-old Vice President Saulos Chilima left the capital, Lilongwe, on Monday but failed to make its scheduled landing at Mzuzu International Airport about 370 km (230 miles) to the north around 45 minutes later.
Barely 24 hours after the incident, social media was awash with stories about where the plane had been.
But speaking on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5 FM, Malawian journalist Cathy Maulidi described the news as false.
She told host Kwabena Agyapong that the search was still underway.
She said the news that has been spreading on social media is not authentic and not authorised by the presidency.
The journalist said those who are searching for the plane are finding it difficult to locate the missing plane.
Cathy Maulidi said authorities have condemned the spread of the fake news, adding that several people are spreading fake news about the incident.
The Malawi Defence Council, she stated, has also denied the news and distanced itself from the source, stressing that the plane and the occupants have not been found.
She also confirmed that the Malawian government has appealed to countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, to extend a helping hand as they search for the plane.
Soldiers are continuing combing the mountainous forests near a city in northern Malawi after a military plane carrying the country’s vice president and former first lady disappeared.
The plane carrying 51-year-old Vice President Saulos Chilima, former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, and eight others left Lilongwe, southern Africa’s capital, at 9:17 a.m. and was scheduled to land 45 minutes later at Mzuzu International Airport, about 370 kilometres (230 miles) to the north.
She added that Angola, Tanzania and Zambia are supporting Malawi on the search.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
