Pakistan K2 Airways missing cargo Boeing 737 located, search for missing crew underway
Pakistan navy and maritime rescue agency has located the wreckage of the missing K2 Airways Boeing 737 cargo aircraft that disappeared from radar over the
Pakistan navy and maritime rescue agency has located the wreckage of the missing K2 Airways Boeing 737 cargo aircraft that disappeared from radar over the Arabian Sea on Wednesday (8 July), the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said. In an official update, the PAA said the wreckage of the aircraft has been successfully located and identified, marking a major breakthrough in the search operation launched after the plane vanished from radar while flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi. The forces, after searching for 12 hours, "have successfully located and identified wreckage of K2 Airways Cargo B737 which was declared missing last night" in the waters off Ormara town, the Pakistan Airport Authority said in a post on X, adding that rescuers were still searching for five crew on board. According to the authority, the wreckage was recovered 53 nautical miles south of Ormara Port along Pakistan's southern coast.
The PAA said search teams are now concentrating their efforts on locating the missing crew members. "Successfully located, identified wreckage of K2 Airways cargo Boeing 737," the authority said in a statement. It added, "Efforts underway to find missing crew members." The cargo aircraft, carrying five crew members, disappeared from radar late Tuesday night after reporting a navigational system issue during its flight to Karachi. Search continues for missing crew Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed authorities to accelerate search and rescue efforts after a K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft disappeared over the Arabian Sea following reports of a navigational system malfunction. The aircraft's operator said five people were on board, including two pilots, two engineers and one support staff member. While authorities have not officially confirmed their fate, Sharif expressed his "heartfelt condolences" to the families of those on board.
Pakistan Airports Authority said multiple agencies had launched a coordinated search operation in the Arabian Sea. K2 Airways said it was working closely with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies as efforts to locate the aircraft continue. Boeing has not yet issued a statement. What happened before contact was lost with K2 Airways Boeing 737 aircraft? According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, the aircraft reported a navigational system problem at 9:18 pm Pakistan Standard Time (1618 GMT) while flying towards Karachi. Air traffic controllers attempted to assist the crew, but contact was lost just three minutes later after radar indicated the aircraft had begun a rapid descent. At the time, it was around 155 nautical miles (287 kilometres) west of Karachi. Flight tracking data from Flightradar24 suggests the aircraft experienced dramatic altitude changes during its final moments. The plane reportedly dropped around 5,000 feet in less than a minute before briefly climbing approximately 6,000 feet within 30 seconds.
The BriefWire