German aviation experts arrive in Malawi to investigate plane crash

LILONGWE, Malawi

A delegation of three German aviation experts arrived in Malawi on Sunday to begin investigating the circumstances leading to the crash of a military plane that killed Vice President Saulos Chilima and eight others on June 10.

Information Minister Moses Kunkuyu told Anadolu that the arrival of the experts is in response to a call made last week by President Lazarus Chakwera to the international community for an independent investigation into the crash.

“This is an independent team of investigators. They will work independently from the government. The president has assured them that there will be no hindrance to their work. They will have access to the site, people, institutions and anything they will see necessary in their investigations,” Kunkuyu said.

He said that since the military plane was made in Germany, “the delegation was best placed to establish what exactly led to the crash.”

Since the crash, there have been mounting calls from a diverse section of Malawi’s society for an independent investigation “whose findings would satisfy people’s curiosity for truth.”

“As the government, we would like these experts to help us establish the actual cause of this plane crash that claimed the lives of our sons and daughters, who included the country’s sitting vice president. We will provide these experts with support so that the truth can come out,” said Kunkuyu.

The country’s quasi-religious organization the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) has cautioned the government against interfering in the probe, saying that “would likely compromise and defeat the whole purpose of the investigation, which is to establish the truth.”

PAC spokesperson Rev. Gilford Matonga told Anadolu that the outcome of the investigation would be a “make or break” moment for the country.

“The government must let these experts do their work without any interference so that the outcome of the investigation can be trusted by all Malawians. The death of the country’s vice president has divided people. There is therefore the need for the government to let people know the truth about what really happened without any form of interference,” Matonga said.

According to Kunkuyu, the US and Britain are also willing to send some experts to join in the investigation.