Pakistan Searches for Cargo Plane Missing Off Karachi

SadaNews - Pakistan launched a search operation at sea on Wednesday for a Boeing cargo plane that went missing off the coast of Karachi, after radar showed it was in a "rapid descent," according to a statement by the Pakistan Airports Authority on the "X" platform.

The aircraft, operated by the private airline "K2 Airways," was carrying five crew members and was on a flight from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi when it lost contact on Tuesday evening after reporting a "navigation system issue."

The Pakistan Airports Authority stated that at 21:21 Pakistan time, the plane was spotted on radar in a "rapid descent with a sudden change in direction" before contact was lost approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.

The authority added that a search operation was initiated at sea to determine the location of the missing aircraft.

Meanwhile, the flight tracking website "FlightRadar24" reported that initial data from the plane "indicated a descent followed by an ascent, then a sudden and sharp second descent."

"K2 Airways" is a private cargo airline in Pakistan, operating flights domestically and internationally.

According to the website "Airfleets," the aircraft was manufactured in 1999 and was used for passenger transport by the airlines "Aeroflot" and "Garuda Indonesia" before being converted to a cargo plane in 2012.