K2 Airways Crash: Pakistan Navy Recovers Wreckage of Missing Cargo Plane in Arabian Sea
Search teams located the Boeing 737 wreckage 53 nautical miles south of Ormara after a 12-hour operation, while efforts continue to recover the missing crew.
Search and rescue teams recover the wreckage of the missing K2 Airways cargo aircraft from the Arabian Sea.
K2 Airways confirmed a major aviation tragedy after search teams recovered the wreckage of its missing Boeing 737 cargo aircraft from the Arabian Sea, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) announced on Wednesday.
The Pakistan Navy (PN) and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) located and identified the wreckage after conducting an extensive 12-hour search and rescue operation. Officials found the aircraft 53 nautical miles south of Ormara using helicopters, aircraft and maritime search assets.
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Authorities said rescue teams have not yet recovered the bodies of the five crew members. Search operations continue as officials work to locate the missing personnel.
The PAA said it would release additional information as the operation progresses.
The Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft disappeared from radar late Tuesday while flying from Sharjah to Karachi. The aircraft lost contact about 300 kilometres west of Karachi over the Arabian Sea.
Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) to use all available resources to intensify the search and rescue mission. He also expressed sympathy with the families of the five crew members.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari expressed concern over the incident and offered condolences to the families. He assured them of the nation’s support during the difficult time.
According to the PAA, the aircraft reported a navigation system problem at 9:18pm. Air traffic controllers at the Karachi Area Control Centre immediately provided assistance. However, three minutes later, radar data showed the aircraft descending rapidly and making a sharp turn before controllers lost both radar and radio contact approximately 287 kilometres west of Karachi.
Flight tracking data identified the aircraft as AP-BOI, a Boeing 737-4M0(BDSF) cargo aircraft that entered service with K2 Airways in 2024.
The aircraft first entered commercial service with Aeroflot in 1999 as a passenger jet. It later operated with Garuda Indonesia before engineers converted it into a freighter in 2012. The aircraft subsequently flew for TNT Airways and ASL Airlines before joining K2 Airways.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the crash. Investigators are expected to examine the recovered wreckage as the search for the crew continues.
