Pakistani rescuers find wreckage of lost cargo plane; search on for missing crew

(Reuters)

ISLAMABAD, July 8 – Pakistani rescuers found the wreckage of a cargo plane in a deep-sea search operation on Wednesday, 12 hours ‌after it went missing off the coast of Karachi, with efforts underway to find the five crew members who were on board, authorities said.

The wreckage of the K2 Airways Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab 737 was recovered 53 nautical miles (98 km) south of Ormara port, the Pakistan Airports Authority said.

The Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency deployed “various air and sea borne assets” to locate the remains, it said, adding that the search operation ​was continuing to find the crew members.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed authorities to speed up the search for the 27-year-old converted freighter, which went missing ​in the Arabian Sea after reporting a navigational system problem.

K2 Airways, the plane’s operator, said the crew comprised two pilots, two engineers ⁠and one support staffer. Authorities have made no official declaration on their status, although Sharif expressed his “heartfelt condolences” to their families.

The plane may have crashed into the sea southwest ​of Karachi after a series of sharp altitude changes before a steep final descent, according to flight-tracking service Flightradar24.

Authorities had launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation at sea through various ​agencies, the airports authority said. K2 Airways said it was cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies. Boeing has not yet commented.

The plane reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time (1618 GMT) on Tuesday while flying towards Karachi from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates, the airports authority said.