Pakistan expands search for missing cargo plane as rough seas hamper rescue efforts

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s Navy and civilian authorities on Wednesday expanded the search for a cargo plane feared to have crashed after it disappeared from radar and lost contact with air traffic control en route to the southern port city of Karachi.

Officials said the Karachi-bound aircraft, operated by the private carrier K2 Airways, reported a navigational system issue while flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates with five people on board. The search is still ongoing, according to three officials familiar with the rescue operation.

The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the possible crash.

They added that the vast search area in the Arabian Sea and rough monsoon seas were posing significant challenges to the search-and-rescue operation.

There has been no official confirmation of the aircraft’s fate. In a statement, K2 Airways said search and rescue operations are still being conducted by Pakistani authorities and the company was fully cooperating with the aviation authorities.

“We continue to pray earnestly for the safety of our colleagues,” it said.

Earlier, Pakistan’s Airports Authority said on X that radar data showed the aircraft making a sharp change in heading and rapidly descending before radar and radio contact were lost at about 9:21 p.m., approximately 155 nautical miles (287 kilometers, 178 miles) west of Karachi.

According to the authority, Pakistan’s military and civilian agencies activated the Rescue Coordination Center and launched search-and-rescue operations at sea shortly after the aircraft went missing.

According to the officials, Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Zulfiqar was dispatched to the area where contact with the aircraft was lost. The Pakistan Air Force also deployed aircraft to assist in the search, while a Pakistan Navy ATR aircraft took off from the southwestern city of Turbat.

A merchant vessel operated by the Pakistan National Shipping Corp. also joined the operation, officials said.

Aviation expert Imran Aslam told local broadcaster ARY News late Tuesday that it remained unclear what caused the aircraft to disappear from radar. He said that even if an aircraft suffered an engine failure, it would normally continue gliding rather than plunge suddenly. He said the exact cause would become clear only after investigators gathered more evidence.

In May 2020, a Pakistan International Airlines flight carrying 98 people crashed into a densely populated neighborhood near Karachi airport while attempting to land. All but one of the 99 people on board were killed. A government investigation later concluded that human error by the pilots and air traffic controllers caused the crash.