unsaveSave
expand-left
full screen A newspaper seller in Malawi after the news that the country’s vice president had died in a plane crash was announced. Archive image. Photo: Thoko Chikondi/AP/TT
Four people were killed when a vehicle taking part in the funeral cortege of the late Malawi vice president drove straight into the crowd of mourners on Sunday evening.
Another 12 people were injured in the incident, which occurred in the village of Ntcheu in central Malawi. The cortege was on its way to Nsipe, Vice President Saulos Chilima’s home village, ahead of his funeral on Monday. Thousands of people had gathered in the streets to catch a glimpse of Chilima’s coffin.
An eyewitness tells the AFP news agency that the car plunged into the crowd when it tried to maneuver away from it.
Felix Njawala, spokesperson for Chilima’s UTM party, said there was tension along the road as mourners demanded the procession be stopped so they could see the casket.
Chilema died along with nine other people when a military plane crashed last Monday. He was Malawi’s vice president for ten years under two different presidents, both before and after a scandalous election in 2019 that was annulled due to fraud.