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Search under way for cargo plane that vanished off Pakistan coast
🇬🇧 United Kingdom /Disasters & Emergencies

Search under way for cargo plane that vanished off Pakistan coast

From BBC News · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • A cargo plane carrying five crew members went missing off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan, shortly after reporting a navigation system problem.
  • The Boeing 737, operated by K2 Airways, lost contact with air traffic controllers Tuesday evening while en route from Sharjah, UAE, to Karachi.
  • Pakistan's navy and air force are conducting a search operation, with the airline cooperating fully with authorities.

A search operation is underway off Pakistan's coast after a cargo plane carrying five crew members vanished Tuesday evening. The Boeing 737, operated by Karachi-based K2 Airways, lost contact with air traffic controllers at 21:21 local time (16:21 GMT) while on approach to Karachi from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates.

Officials reported the aircraft had indicated a navigation system problem minutes before its rapid descent and loss of contact. Preliminary data from flight-tracking services showed a sharp fluctuation in altitude preceding the steep dive.

K2 Airways, founded in 2018, confirmed the identities of the five crew members and stated it is fully cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies. The Pakistan Navy and Air Force have been deployed to locate the missing aircraft, recalling a tragic domestic passenger flight crash in Karachi in 2020 that killed all but two of the 99 people on board.

We continue to pray, earnestly, for the safety of our colleagues.

— K2 AirwaysIn a statement following the disappearance of the cargo plane.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by BBC News. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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