Cargo plane with 5 crew members goes missing off Karachi coast, search underway

A cargo aircraft carrying five crew members has gone missing off the coast of Karachi, Pakistan, triggering a large-scale search and rescue operation in the Arabian Sea, Pakistani aviation authorities said.

The missing aircraft, a K2 Airways Boeing 737 cargo plane, was flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi when it reported a navigation system malfunction at around 9:18 pm local time. Air traffic controllers guided the aircraft after receiving the alert, but just three minutes later radar showed it making a rapid descent and an abrupt change in direction before communication was lost about 155 nautical miles (around 287 km) west of Karachi.

Pakistan's Airports Authority immediately launched a multi-agency search and rescue mission involving the Pakistan Navy, Pakistan Air Force and other maritime agencies. Naval vessels, surveillance aircraft and merchant ships have been deployed to search the suspected crash area in the Arabian Sea. Rough monsoon conditions and high seas are reportedly complicating rescue efforts.

The Bureau of Air Safety Investigation has opened an inquiry into the disappearance. Aviation experts said the aircraft's sudden loss of altitude is unusual, noting that even in the event of engine failure, a Boeing 737 would normally glide rather than descend so rapidly. The exact cause of the incident remains unknown.

K2 Airways said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and expressed hope that the crew members would be found safely. The incident is Pakistan's most serious aviation emergency since the 2020 Karachi passenger plane crash and has renewed concerns over aviation safety in the region.