Pakistani aviation authorities said a search is underway after a Boeing 737 cargo plane carrying a five-member crew disappeared off the coast of Karachi and lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday evening.
The Boeing 737 cargo plane operated by K2 Airlines was heading from Sharjah International Airport in the United Arab Emirates to Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan, when it reported a problem with the navigation system and was immediately directed by the district control center in Karachi, according to the British newspaper “Daily Mail”. Statement from the Airports Authority of Pakistan.
The statement added that the plane was seen on radar descending quickly with a rapid change in direction before losing radar and communications west of Karachi.
“Following the incident, the Rescue Coordination Center was activated and a coordinated search and rescue operation was initiated at sea through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft,” the Pakistan Airports Authority said.
In a statement on Wednesday, K2 Airlines identified the five crew members aboard the Boeing 737 cargo plane and said it was “fully cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies.”
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“We continue to pray earnestly for the safety of our colleagues,” the statement read.
The five crew members on board the plane are Captain Muhammad Radwan, First Officer Faisal Mahmoud, Loading Director Muhammad Tawfiq Khan, Engineer Arif Siddiqui, and Muhammad Hamid.
There was no official confirmation of the plane’s fate.
Flight Radar 24 data It refers to a loss of altitude, followed by a climb, then a sudden loss of altitude again.
The final data point received from the aircraft was at an altitude of about 1,100 feet, descending at a speed of 22,400 feet per minute, according to the data.
Aviation expert Imran Aslam told local ARY News that it is still unclear why the plane disappeared from radar. He said that even if the plane experiences an engine failure, it usually continues to glide instead of landing suddenly.
“I still can’t understand how the plane suddenly fell instead of sliding,” he said.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his “deep sadness” and “sincere sympathy” to the families of the five crew members on board the plane. In a statement on Wednesday.
The last major aviation accident in Pakistan involved a domestic passenger flight in 2020.
The Pakistan International Airlines plane carrying 98 people crashed in a densely populated neighborhood near Karachi Airport while trying to land. The Associated Press reported that all but one of the 99 people on board were killed.
A government investigation later concluded that human error on the part of the pilots and air traffic controllers caused the accident.
-With files from The Associated Press
&Copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
