Chilima was en route to attend the burial of veteran lawyer Raphael Kasambara who died earlier on Friday.

According to a statement from the office of the Secretary to the President and Cabinet efforts by aviation authorities to make contact with the aircraft since it went off the radar have failed.

President Lazarus Chakwera has ordered for an immediate search and rescue operation, according to information minister and government spokesperson Moses Kunkuyu.

Our source says the whereabouts of the plane were traced to Chikangawa Forest after it failed to land at Mzuzu Airport due to bad weather this morning.

Meanwhile, President Chakwera has indefinitely cancelled his trip to the Bahamas following the disappearance of the aircraft carrying the Vice President.

The office has confirmed President Chakwera has ordered the deployment of MDF soldiers to Viphya Plantation in Chikangawa located in the Mzimba and Nkhata Bay districts.

The soldiers will support a fire department and police search and rescue teams already on the ground.

A crisis meeting involving the MDF, Aviation, Immigration, and other security agencies is currently underway at Kamuzu International Airport in the capital Lilongwe from where the Vice President's plane departed earlier today.