By Edwin Mauluka

Fresh plans to exhume the bodies of victims of the June 2024 Chikangawa plane crash are now part of a renewed parliamentary inquiry into one of Malawi’s deadliest aviation disasters.

The Parliamentary Ad-hoc Committee leading the fresh probe says it intends to seek consent from families for new autopsies and exhumations as investigators revisit the circumstances surrounding the crash that killed Malawi’s Vice President, Saulos Klaus Chilima, and eight others.

The committee on Monday began its fact-finding mission with a visit to Kamuzu International Airport, where members inspected aviation facilities and met officials involved in airport operations.

Committee chairperson Walter Nyamilandu said the inquiry had formally commenced with site visits aimed at helping members understand the operational and technical aspects surrounding the crash.

“Tomorrow [Tuesday] we will be at Nthungwa Forest to inspect the site itself. We will then proceed to Mzuzu Airport in the afternoon before concluding the tour with an inspection of the wreckage, which is currently at the Air Wing in Zomba,” Nyamilandu told reporters.

The committee engaged officials from Airport Development Limited (ADL), the Department of Civil Aviation, Lilongwe Handling Company and other aviation-related institutions operating at KIA.

Members were briefed on airport operations and toured facilities including air traffic control systems. The visit focused on standard operating procedures for aircraft take-off and landing, flight tracking systems and emergency response protocols.

Nyamilandu said the technical visits would help the committee formulate more informed lines of inquiry.

“While this is happening, we are also working on conducting audits. We have agreed to have another autopsy by a forensic pathologist, as well as a health, safety and environmental audit, so that maybe new information can emerge and help provide greater clarity,” he said.

He disclosed that the committee would meet affected families on Wednesday to brief them on the fresh inquiry and seek consent for the proposed autopsies and exhumations.

Once the site visits are completed, the committee is expected to begin summoning witnesses, including officials and personnel who were on duty at the time of the crash.

“Once that is done, we will analyse the findings and move into the final stage of compiling and submitting our report,” said Nyamilandu, adding that the committee aims to complete its work by the end of August.

He said the inquiry would be conducted transparently to restore public confidence and establish the truth behind the crash.

“The only way we can have closure is for the truth to be unearthed. That is the driving purpose of this committee, which is made up of members from different political parties,” he said.

“The whole process has to be accountable to convince people that what we are doing is right and that nothing is being hidden.”

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