Pakistan Finds Wreckage of Missing Cargo Plane, Search Continues for Five Crew
Pakistan has intensified search and recovery operations after a K2 Airways Boeing 737 cargo aircraft disappeared over the Arabian Sea , with authorities confirming that wreckage has been located but the fate of the five crew members remains unknown.
The aircraft, operating a cargo flight from Sharjah in the UAE to Karachi , vanished from radar on Tuesday night after reporting a navigation system issue . According to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), air traffic controllers guided the crew after the initial alert, but radar later showed the aircraft making a rapid descent and abrupt heading change before communication was lost around 300 kilometres west of Karachi .
Search efforts continued on Wednesday with personnel from the Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and commercial vessels joining the operation. Naval ships PNS Zulfiqar and PNS Hunain , along with surveillance aircraft, have been deployed to scour the waters south of Ormara on the Balochistan coast.
Authorities said rough sea conditions have complicated search and recovery efforts. The discovery of debris in the Arabian Sea has strengthened concerns that the aircraft crashed, though officials have not confirmed any fatalities .
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed all relevant agencies to utilise every available resource to support the ongoing operation.
The aircraft had reportedly remained in Sharjah for around 10 days after developing a technical fault before departing for Karachi. Preliminary information indicates the crew reported a navigational system malfunction minutes before contact was lost, but investigators have not established whether it was linked to the disappearance.
The missing crew members have been identified as Captain Muhammad Rizwan Idris, First Officer Faisal Mahmood, Loadmaster Muhammad Taufiq Khan, Engineer Arif Siddiqui and Engineer Muhammad Hamid.
An investigation into the cause of the incident is underway.