Pakistan cargo plane wreckage found in Arabian Sea after disappearance near Karachi
Wreckage from a K2 Airways cargo Boeing 737 that disappeared while approaching Karachi has been found in the Arabian Sea, Pakistan's Airports Authority said. The aircraft lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday evening after departing Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates. Five crew members remain missing as search teams continue operations across the sea.
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The debris was recovered about 53 nautical miles south of Ormara port after a search that lasted nearly 12 hours. According to the Airports Authority, radar data showed the aircraft making a sharp change in heading before descending rapidly. Radio and radar contact was lost at about 9:21 pm local time, roughly 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
The search-and-rescue effort has involved the Pakistan Navy, the Pakistan Air Force, civilian rescue agencies and merchant vessels. A Pakistan Navy frigate, PNS Zulfiqar, naval surveillance aircraft and Pakistan Air Force planes were among the assets deployed. K2 Airways said all five people on board remain unaccounted for and that it is cooperating with Pakistani authorities.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sympathy for the families of the missing crew and directed officials to use all available resources in the search. The scale of the response reflects the seriousness of the incident and the difficulty of locating an aircraft in open water. Aviation experts have said the exact cause is still unclear, even though the aircraft reported a navigational system malfunction before contact was lost.
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The incident adds to concern about aviation safety in Pakistan, where investigators have previously examined major accidents near Karachi. The country's most serious recent crash was the 2020 Pakistan International Airlines disaster near the city, which killed 97 people. In that case, investigators later blamed pilot and air traffic control errors, underscoring how multiple factors can contribute to a crash.
For now, the main questions are whether the missing crew can be found and what the recovered wreckage will show about the aircraft's final moments. Investigators will need to examine the debris, radar information and any other available flight data before drawing conclusions. The search is continuing, and officials have not yet confirmed the cause of the crash or the condition of those on board.
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