Search underway after cargo plane disappears off Pakistan coast

A search operation is under way after a Boeing 737 cargo aircraft carrying five crew members disappeared off the coast of Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi, aviation authorities said.

The aircraft, operated by K2 Airways, lost contact with air traffic control at 9:21 p.m. local time on Tuesday while flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi.

According to Pakistan’s airport authority, the crew had reported a navigation system malfunction shortly before the aircraft rapidly lost altitude and vanished from radar.

Preliminary flight-tracking data indicated the aircraft experienced significant fluctuations in altitude before entering a steep descent.

K2 Airways, a private cargo airline based in Karachi, confirmed that five crew members were on board and said it is fully cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies investigating the incident.

“Our thoughts and prayers remain with our colleagues, and we continue to hope for their safe recovery,” the airline said in a statement.

Pakistan’s airport authority said search and rescue efforts are being carried out by multiple agencies, including the Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force, as teams scour waters off the Karachi coastline for the missing aircraft.

The incident is the most serious aviation emergency reported in Pakistan since the 2020 crash of a Pakistan International Airlines passenger jet near Karachi, which claimed 97 lives while two people survived.