DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Authorities in Pakistan are searching the Arabian Sea after a K2 Airways cargo plane flying from Sharjah to Karachi lost contact and disappeared from radar late Tuesday.
Pakistan’s Airports Authority said the Boeing 737-400 freighter was making a rapid descent and changed direction sharply before contact was lost about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. A rescue coordination center was activated immediately, and multiple agencies joined the search.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the incident and ordered aviation and military authorities to intensify the search and rescue operation. He also extended condolences to the families of the five crew members.
K2 Airways identified the crew as pilot in command Mohammad Rizwan Idrees, first officer Faisal Mehmood, load master Muhammad Toufique Khan, and engineers Arif Siddiqui and Mohammad Hamid.
The airline said it is cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies.
According to the airport authority, the crew reported a navigation system problem before the aircraft vanished. Flight-tracking data showed the plane first lost altitude, then climbed again before entering a second steep descent shortly before it disappeared from radar.
K2 Airways is a private Pakistani cargo carrier that operates domestic and international flights. The aircraft involved was built in 1999 and later converted from a passenger jet to a freighter in 2012.
Aviation authorities in Pakistan have faced repeated scrutiny in recent years over safety standards. The country’s national carrier was barred from European Union airspace for four years because of safety and licensing concerns before the restriction was lifted in 2024.
Search operations were still under way Wednesday, with officials expected to provide further updates as crews continue scanning the sea off Karachi.
