A Pakistani cargo plane carrying five crew members disappeared from radar off the country's southern coast on Tuesday night minutes after reporting a navigational system problem, prompting a search-and-rescue operation, the Pakistan Airports Authority said.
The Boeing Co. 737, operated by K2 Airways, was flying the less than two-hour route from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi when the crew reported the issue at 9:18 p.m. local time, according to the authority.
Air traffic controllers in Karachi provided navigational assistance, but three minutes later the aircraft was observed descending rapidly and making a sharp change in heading before radar and radio contact were lost about 155 nautical miles (287 kilometers) west of Karachi.
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The Pakistan Airports Authority said its Rescue Coordination Centre had been activated and search-and-rescue operations at sea were underway in coordination with multiple agencies.
The authority didn't immediately provide information on the cause of the incident or the fate of the aircraft.
Preliminary flight tracking data of the aircraft's final moments indicated a loss of altitude, followed by it climbing, and then a "second, sudden and dramatic loss of altitude," Flightradar24 said.
Pakistan has deployed navy and air force assets, including a frigate, to support the search and rescue operation, according to government officials with knowledge of the matter.
For fledgling K2 Airways, established in 2018, the plane involved in the accident was the only one registered to the airline. The 27-year-old aircraft was delivered to the carrier in 2024. The plane's prior flight was on June 28.
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Pakistan has a spotty air safety record, and has suffered numerous fatal crashes in the past two decades. The most recent accident involved a Pakistan International Airlines jet in 2020, which killed 97 people on board and one on the ground, after a botched landing attempt.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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