ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed Pakistan’s aviation and military authorities to intensify search and rescue efforts for a cargo plane that disappeared over the Arabian Sea with five crew members on board while flying from Sharjah to Karachi.
The missing aircraft is a Boeing 737-400 freighter operated by Karachi-based K2 Airways, a private Pakistani cargo carrier offering domestic and international freight services. It vanished late on Tuesday after reporting a navigation system issue.
The disappearance prompted a multi-agency search operation west of Pakistan’s southern coast.
“The prime minister directed the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force to expedite search and rescue operations in the Arabian Sea and employ all available resources,” Sharif’s office said in a statement.
He also expressed grief over the incident and conveyed his sympathies to the families of the five crew members aboard.
Earlier, K2 Airways issued a statement on social media in which it named the five crew members, saying it was praying for their safety.
“K2 Airways is fully cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies,” the airline said on its official Facebook page.
According to the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), the cargo flight reported a navigation system issue at 9:18 p.m. Pakistan time and was promptly guided by Karachi Area Control Center.
However, at 9:21 p.m., the aircraft was observed on radar rapidly descending and making a sharp change in heading before radar and radio contact were lost about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi, according to the authority.
“Following the occurrence ... coordinated Search & Rescue was launched at sea through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft,” the PAA said.
According to official sources, the search operation includes Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Zulfiqar, Pakistan Air Force assets, a Pakistan Navy ATR aircraft operating from Turbat and the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation merchant vessel Lahore.
The cause of the aircraft’s disappearance was not immediately known, and authorities had not announced any breakthrough in the search by the time of publication.
