Arabic version: تكثيف جهود البحث عن طائرة شحن مفقودة بالقرب من كراتشي

A search operation is currently underway for a cargo plane that vanished off the coast of Karachi, a city at the country’s southern tip. The Boeing 737 lost contact with air traffic controllers on Tuesday at 21:21 local time (16:21 GMT) while en route from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi. The aircraft, operated by K2 Airways, had reported a navigation system issue shortly before its descent, according to the Pakistan airport authority.

K2 Airways, a private cargo airline founded in 2018, confirmed that five crew members were on board the missing aircraft. In a statement released on Wednesday, the airline expressed its commitment to cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other relevant government agencies. “We continue to pray, earnestly, for the safety of our colleagues,” the statement read.

Preliminary data from Flightradar24 indicated that the plane experienced sharp fluctuations in altitude prior to its rapid descent. In response to the incident, various agencies, including the navy and air force, have been mobilized to conduct search operations for the missing aircraft.

This incident marks a significant aviation event in Pakistan, recalling the last major aviation disaster in 2020 when a Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed while approaching Karachi airport, resulting in the deaths of all but two of the 99 people on board. According to BBC News, the search for the cargo plane continues as authorities hope for a positive outcome.