Wreckage of K2 Airways cargo plane recovered off Pakistan coast, search for five crew continues
Pakistani authorities have recovered debris from a cargo aircraft that vanished near Karachi and are still searching for the five crew members aboard.
Civilian and navy teams off Pakistan's coast located wreckage of a K2 Airways cargo plane that disappeared while approaching Karachi, officials said. The aircraft had taken off from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, and reported a navigational system problem before losing contact with air traffic control late on Tuesday.
Pakistan's Airports Authority posted on X that the wreckage was found after roughly 12 hours of searching in the Arabian Sea. The search for the five missing crew members – identified as Captain Muhammad Rizwan Idran, First Officer Faisal Jatoi, flight engineers Muhammad Hamid and Muhammad Arif Siddiqui, and loader Muhammad Taufiq Khan – remains ongoing.
Three officials familiar with the operation, speaking anonymously due to the incident's sensitivity, said the extensive search area and rough monsoon seas were hampering rescue efforts. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sympathy for the families and ordered the deployment of all available resources for the search.
Radar data released by the Airports Authority indicated the plane made a sharp heading change and a rapid descent before radar and radio contact were lost at about 9:21 p.m., roughly 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. Aviation expert Imran Aslam told ARY News that the cause of the disappearance was still unclear, noting that even with an engine failure an aircraft would typically glide rather than plunge suddenly. He said investigators would need more evidence to determine the exact cause.