Wreckage from a K2 Airways cargo aircraft that disappeared while travelling from Sharjah to Karachi was recovered from the Arabian Sea south of Ormara, off the Balochistan coast, on Wednesday, while search operations continued for five missing crew members.
The Boeing 737-400 freighter, bearing registration AP-BOI, reported a navigation system problem at 9:18pm on Tuesday while flying towards Karachi.
The Pakistan Airports Authority said air traffic controllers attempted to guide the aircraft, but radar showed it rapidly descending and making a sharp change in direction three minutes later. Radar and radio contact were subsequently lost approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
The authority said wreckage from the aircraft was recovered around 53 nautical miles south of Ormara following a search lasting approximately 12 hours.
However, search teams had yet to locate the main wreckage or any of the five crew members.
K2 Airways identified the crew as Captain Muhammad Rizwan Idris, First Officer Faisal Mahmood Jatoi, Loadmaster Muhammad Taufiq Khan, and aircraft engineers Muhammad Hamid and Muhammad Arif Siddiqui.
The airline said it was cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies as the search continued.
Officials said the Pakistan Navy had deployed PNS Zulfiqar and PNS Hunain to the area, while naval aircraft continued aerial surveillance.
A Pakistan Navy ATR aircraft departed from Turbat to join the operation, while a Pakistan Air Force Saab aircraft assisted with the aerial search.
The Pakistan National Shipping Corporation’s merchant vessel Lahore was also tasked with supporting the search and rescue operation.
Search teams were reported to be facing rough seas, while the depth of the area was complicating efforts to locate the main wreckage and the missing crew members.
The search and rescue operation remained underway as of the filing of this report.