The army commander made the call during a press briefing held at the Central Information Office in Lilongwe on Thursday, aimed at briefing Malawians on the funeral arrangements for the late Vice President and the other victims.

General Phiri said the MDF is rigorously investigating the incident according to military protocols to ascertain the cause of the tragedy.

"The MDF has been tasked to conduct a thorough inquiry following the unfortunate incident and we will adhere to the military laws that govern our operations," he said.

He disclosed that a military board of inquiry was formed immediately after the crash was reported.

"The board's mandate is to scrutinize the events leading to the crash, involving MDF personnel and an appointed official from the Civil Aviation authorities," He said.

He further said findings from the board will be communicated to the MDF and subsequently to the government, which will decide on the way forward.

The army commander discouraged the spread of conspiracy theories that could disrupt national stability.

Minister of Information and Digitalization, Moses Kunkuyu, said President Lazarus Chakwera's has taken initiative to seek international assistance for the investigation.

"The government has facilitated the autopsy process with support from the bereaved families, who were given the choice to involve their preferred experts, According to Kunkuyu, the President has also requested ambassadors operating in this country to provide their experts in the investigations for transparency.

The body of Vice President Chilima is set to be moved from Good Will funeral home to Parliament, where it will lie in state on Thursday, June 14th.

By Priscilla Phiri-MANA