Additional parts, debris of crashed cargo plane recovered, search for crew ongoing: PAA

The Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA) said on Friday that search and rescue operations for the K2 Airways cargo aircraft remain underway in the deep sea.

According to posts on X, the PAA said search and rescue (SAR) missions by the Pakistan Navy (PN) and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) continue in the deep sea.

“The search for the crew members is continuing with full vigour through the coordinated employment of aerial and sea-borne assets,” the PAA said.

It added that “additional parts and debris of the ill-fated aircraft have been located and retrieved for subsequent analysis by the investigation team”.

“Further updates will be shared as the search and rescue (SAR) operation continues,” the PAA said.

Late on Tuesday night, a K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft with five crew members aboard was reported missing off the coast of Karachi.

Read: Families of crew aboard crashed Pakistani cargo plane face agonising wait

In a series of posts on X, the PAA said a K2 Airways Boeing 737 cargo flight was en route from Sharjah to Karachi at 2118 PST when it reported a navigational system issue and was promptly guided by the Karachi Area Control Centre.

“However, at time 2121 PST, the aircraft was observed on radar rapidly descending and with rapid heading change; subsequently, radar contact and communication were lost approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi,” the PAA said.

After searching for 12 hours, Pakistan’s navy and maritime rescue agency “successfully located and identified the wreckage of K2 Airways Cargo B737, which was declared missing”, the PAA said in a statement posted on X.

The wreckage was found in the Arabian Sea, off Ormara town on Pakistan’s southern coast, it said.