Malawi: Witness Tells MPs He Saw Gunfire At Chilima Crash Site

What the report says

A witness has given Malawi’s Parliament a new and highly unusual account in the investigation into the June 2024 plane crash that killed former Vice-President Saulos Chilima and eight others. According to Nyasa Times, as republished by AllAfrica, Ephraim Duma testified before an Ad Hoc Committee on Tuesday about events he said he observed near the crash site in the Chikangawa area.

Duma said he was travelling by motorcycle on the M1 road when he saw the aircraft in the air and later thought he saw Chilima calling for help before the plane changed direction and crashed in the forest. He told lawmakers that he and other riders followed the aircraft on foot after abandoning their motorcycles, then reached the wreckage site.

He further alleged that more than 10 people were already present at the scene, including some in military-style clothing, and claimed he heard gunfire after two people came out of the wreckage. He said one of his companions was killed and that he escaped, later returning to Mzuzu the next day. The account has not been independently verified, and the committee is expected to compare it with other witness evidence and technical findings.

The testimony is significant because it adds new, contested claims to an already sensitive inquiry into the crash, which is one of Malawi’s most closely watched recent aviation and political events.