Pakistan searches Arabian Sea after K2 cargo plane vanishes near Karachi

Islamabad/lahore,UPDATED: Jul 8, 2026 18:52 IST

Pakistani search teams on Wednesday continued to search the Arabian Sea for a cargo plane that went missing while flying from Sharjah in the UAE to Karachi, with five crew members on board. The Boeing 737 cargo aircraft, operated by Karachi-based private airline K2 Airways, disappeared from radar on Tuesday night after it was seen descending rapidly and making a sudden change in direction during the flight.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked the Civil Aviation Authority, the Navy and the Pakistan Air Force to use all available resources for the search operation, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. The Pakistan Airports Authority said personnel from several agencies were taking part in the operation, but added that rough sea conditions were making the effort difficult and no wreckage or other signs of the aircraft had been found so far.

The Pakistan Airports Authority said contact with the aircraft was lost at 09:21 pm local time on Tuesday, about 300 kilometres west of Karachi. The aircraft reportedly went missing while flying at an altitude of 34,000 feet and is believed to have disappeared over the Arabian Sea, south of Ormara on the Balochistan coast.

The search operation includes naval vessels PNS Zulfiqar and PNS Hunain, an ATR aircraft and the Pakistan Air Force, the authority said. Commercial vessels operated by the Shipping Corporation have also been deployed to help scan the waters, according to sources, bringing together military and civilian resources in the search for the missing plane.

The Pakistan Airports Authority had earlier said the cargo flight reported a navigational system issue at 09.18 pm local time on Tuesday and was promptly guided by Karachi Area Control Centre. It said, "However, at 09:22 pm (local time), the aircraft was observed on radar rapidly descending with a rapid heading change. Subsequently, radar contact and communication were lost approximately 155 NM west of Karachi."

The authority also said, "Rough seas are making the search difficult. However, no wreckage or other signs of the aircraft have been found so far." The aircraft had reportedly remained in Sharjah for about 10 days after developing a technical fault.

The aircraft was carrying five crew members: Captain Muhammad Rizwan Idris, First Officer Faisal Mahmood, Loadmaster Muhammad Taufiq Khan, Engineer Arif Siddiqui and Engineer Muhammad Hamid. The search for the aircraft continued on Wednesday as Pakistani authorities used naval, air and commercial resources to locate the plane that vanished en route to Karachi.

With PTI Inputs

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