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At least four mourners were killed and no fewer than 12 individuals injured by a vehicle in the procession of the late Malawian Vice President, Saulos Chilima’s funeral.
It was gathered that a vehicle in the motorcade transporting the late Vice President’s remains collided with mourners on Sunday night in the village of Ntcheu, located in central Malawi.
The car, along with other military, police, and civilian vehicles, was headed to Nsipe, Chilima’s home village, which is located 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of the capital Lilongwe. His burial on Monday has been declared a public holiday.
The spokesman of the Malawian police, Peter Kalaya, confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday morning.
“Due to the impact the two female and two male pedestrians sustained severe head injuries and multiple fractures and died whilst receiving treatment,” said a police statement.
An eyewitness told AFP that the vehicle plunged into the crowd as it tried to maneuver away from the volatile crowd.
Spokesman for Chilima’s party, Felix Njawala, mentioned that there was some tension along the route as mourners demanded the procession to stop so they could see the coffin.
Njawala reported to AFP that in Dedza, locals blocked the road, demanding to see the coffin. The convoy halted, appeasing the crowd, allowing it to continue, although some individuals threw stones at the convoy during the incident.
While acknowledging that party supporters had questions, he called on them to maintain peace. The party itself on Thursday demanded an investigation into the plane crash.
Recall that a military aircraft conveying Malawi’s Vice President and other top government officials went missing last week after it failed to land.
After an extensive search, the aircraft wreckage was found, and there were no survivors.