ISLAMABAD: Authorities have successfully recovered the wreckage of a cargo plane that disappeared over the Arabian Sea last night, the Pakistan Airports Authority said on Wednesday, adding that efforts are underway to locate the five missing crew members who were on board the aircraft.
The Boeing 737-400 freighter was 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 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. The cargo plane was on its way from Sharjah to Karachi, the PAA said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority, Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Air Force to expedite the search and rescue operations in the Arabian Sea to recover five crew members who were on the aircraft.
“The Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) after 12 hours of Search & Rescue operations in deep sea have successfully located and identified wreckage of K2 Airways Cargo B737, which was declared missing last night,” the PAA said.
It added that the wreckage was recovered 53 nautical miles south of the southwestern coastal town of Ormara in Pakistan.
“Various air & sea borne assets were employed by PN & PMSA to locate the wreckage and efforts are underway to find the missing crew members,” the PAA said. “Further details will follow as Search & Rescue operation progresses.”
According to the 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.
According to official sources, the search operation comprised 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.
