Veep survives plane crush

…says she could not understand what happened as the plane carrying with others crushed minutes after taking off in Nakonde, leaving her traumatised

By BARNABAS ZULU

VICE PRESIDENT Mutale Nalumango yesterday survived a plane crash shortly after take-off from Nakonde, where she had addressed a political rally before proceeding to Isoka District as part of her campaign programme.

And Secrery to the Cabinet Patrick Kangwa yesterday confirmed in a statement that Vice President Nalumango survived the plane crush and that she and all passengers, including the crew were all safe.

The Zambia Air Force helicopter carrying Vice-President Nalumango went down moments after take-off, crashing approximately 50 metres from the point of departure.

Security was immediately tightened around the crash site as investigations into the cause of the accident commenced.

Speaking after the incident, Mrs. Nalumango thanked God for sparing the lives of everyone on board, saying the experience was traumatic but that she remained in good health.

“God is mighty and gracious. All of us who were in that plane, about eight people, have survived. The plane has been badly damaged, but we are all alive. We thank God for preserving our lives,” Mrs. Nalumango said.

The Vice President said the aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Nakonde as it headed to Isoka for another political rally.

“We had just finished our rally in Nakonde and were rushing to another one in Isoka. After we lifted off, perhaps a minute or two later, we were down. I do not know what caused the accident, and the pilots have not yet briefed me on what went wrong. For now, our concern is that God preserved our lives. The cause will be determined later,” she said.

Mrs. Nalumango acknowledged that the ordeal had left her traumatised but stressed that it would not prevent her from carrying out her duties.

“Trauma is there when you go through such a situation, but it is not something that will stop me. I am well, and if they ask me to continue with the programme once it is safe, we shall continue. We believe that, all things being equal, we will resume our programmes tomorrow,” she said.

Authorities are expected to institute investigations to establish the cause of the crash.