The world was left in shock and total bewilderment when the aircraft conveying Malawi’s Vice President Saulos Klaus Chilima disappeared off the radar on Monday.
It was later be learnt that the aircraft crash-landed and that Vice President Chilima and 9 other occupants of the aircraft died.
It was gathered that Chilima was traveling to the funeral of Malawi’s former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Ralph Kasambara, who was found dead at a lodge in Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi, on Friday.
Chilima’s death comes few weeks after Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi was killed in a helicopter crash in mountainous terrain near the Azerbaijan border.
Throughout history, the death of presidents, prime ministers, and monarchs in aviation related accidents is not uncommon. Aviation accidents have indeed resulted in the loss of several world leaders over the years.
These tragedies not only impact the individuals involved, but also have significant consequences for their nations and the global community.
Below are some leaders who lost their lives in plane crash:
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi (2024)
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi died in May along with some government officials in a helicopter crash, following a rough landing in the northwestern Iranian province of East Azarbaijan.
Forty rapid response teams were deployed to carry out search operations to find the helicopter that conveyed the Iranian President and three other officials
The three other officials in the helicopter with President Raisi are Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, East Azarbaijan Governor Malek Rahmati, East Azarbaijan Imam of Friday Prayer Mohammad Ali Ale-Hashem.
Abdul Salam Arif, President of Iraq, (1966)
Abdul Salam Arif, President of Iraq died in 1966 when his helicopter crashed in the south of the country. He was leading the country at a time when numerous factions were fighting for its control.
René Barrientos, President of Bolivia (1969)
René Barrientos, President of Bolivia, was killed in 1969 when his helicopter crashed in Arque. Rumours persist that it may have been shot down, however, all investigations concluded it had been an accident and that the rotors of the helicopter became tangled in electricity cables. He had been seen by many of his people as a brutal dictator who served foreign interests.
Barthélemy Boganda, first Prime Minister of the Central African Republic (1959)
Barthélemy Boganda, first Prime Minister of the Central African Republic autonomous territory, was killed in a mid-air explosion in 1959 just days before he was poised to become the first president of the independent CAR. His plane blew up over Boukpayanga killing all passengers and crew. No inquiry was conducted but sabotage was widely thought to be the cause, with his wife, rival businessmen and even the French secret service rumoured to be involved.
Ahmed Ould Bouceif, Prime Minister of Mauritania (1979)
Ahmed Ould Bouceif, Prime Minister of Mauritania, was killed in a plane crash off the coast of Dakar, Senegal, in 1979 – just a month after seizing power.
Dr John Garang de Mabior, Vice President of Sudan (2005)
Dr John Garang de Mabior, Vice President of Sudan, died in 2005 after the Ugandan presidential Mi-172 helicopter he was flying in crashed while on the way back from a secret meeting which he had not told his government about. Six of his colleagues and seven Ugandan crew members were also killed in the accident, which was blamed on poor weather conditions.
Juvenal Habyarimana, President of Rwanda (1994)
Juvenal Habyarimana, President of Rwanda died in 1994 along with the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan military, and numerous others when their plane was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali. The circumstances of the assassination are still unclear.
Jaime Roldós Aguilera, President of Ecuador (1981)
Jaime Roldós Aguilera, President of Ecuador, died in a plane crash in 1981 along with his wife, defence minister, two military leaders and four other passengers. officially, pilot error was blamed for steering the plane into a mountain in Celica Canton of Loja Province. However, others believe he was assassinated because of plans to develop the hydrocarbon sector, which would have threatened US interests or because he was strengthening ties with the Soviet Union.
Samora Moises Machel, President of Mozambique (1986)
Samora Moises Machel, President of Mozambique, died in 1986 when his presidential aircraft crashed in the mountainous border of his country. There were ten survivors, but thirty-three others died, including ministers and officials of the Mozambique government. The accident investigation concluded it was caused by pilot error. However, Mozambican and Soviet governments suspected the plane was led off course by a decoy radio navigation beacon.
Ramon Magsaysay, third President of the Third Republic of the Philippines (1957)
Ramon Magsaysay, third President of the Third Republic of the Philippines, died in a plane accident in 1957. The craft crashed into Mount Manunggal in Cebu killing 25 of the 26 passengers and crew on board. Only newspaperman Nestor Mata survive Francisco de Sá Carneiro, Prime Minister of Portugal, died in a Cessna light aircraft crash in 1980, eleven months after assuming office. He was on his way to an election rally in Porto when he crashed into a building in Loures. Eyewitnesses claimed they saw pieces falling from the plane just moments after it took off. Rumours of sabotage have continued to fuel conspiracy theories that the crash was in fact an assassination, but no firm evidence has come to light.
Wladyslaw Sikorski, Prime Minister of Poland (1943)
Wladyslaw Sikorski, Prime Minister of Poland, was killed, together with his daughter, his Chief of Staff and seven others, when his plane crashed into the sea 16 seconds after take-off from Gibraltar Airport in 1943. Only the pilot survived the crash. The accident had been seen as “convenient” for the Western Allies, who were finding it Sikorski was a stumbling block in preserving good relations with Stalin. In 2008 Sikorski was exhumed to investigate the circumstances of his death. However, in January 2009 the Polish Government concluded that there was no evidence he was murdered.
Omar Torrijos, President of Panama (1981)
Omar Torrijos, President of Panama, died while on a flight during severe weather in 1981 after the craft disappeared from Panama’s radar coverage. His death prompted speculation of an assassination plot.
Boris Trajkovski, President of Macedonia (2004)
Boris Trajkovski, President of Macedonia, died aged 47 in 2004 en route to an economic conference in Mostar, Bosnia and Hercegovina. His plane crashed into a mountainside during poor weather and thick fog. The accident was said to have been exacerbated by mistakes made by air traffic controllers and a badly equipped runway. Eight other people also died.
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, President of Pakistan (1988)
General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, President of Pakistan, died in 1988 when his plane lost contact with the control tower then apparently began flying erratically before nosediving and exploding on impact with the ground in the Punjab. Another 31 passengers died in the plane crash, including Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Akhtar Abdur Rehman, close associate of General Zia Brigadier Siddique Salik, the American Ambassador to Pakistan Arnold Raphel and General Herbert M. Wassom, the head of the U.S. Military aid mission to Pakistan.
President Lech Kaczyński, Poland (2010)
On April 10, 2010, Lech Kaczyński, the President of Poland, was travelling to Russia to commemorate the Katyn massacre, where 22,000 Polish military officers were killed by the Soviet Union. This journey ended in a plane crash near Smolensk, Russia, killing the president and all 96 people on board. An investigation committee, led by then-Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, was formed to examine the incident.