Officials have provided new information regarding the K2 Airways cargo plane that went missing off the coast of Pakistan on Tuesday. The Boeing 737 was on a cargo flight to Karachi when it disappeared at approximately 9:21 p.m. local time after departing from Sharjah, UAE. Some wreckage was found on Wednesday, about 53 miles south of Ormara, while the search for the five missing crew members continued into Thursday.
The crew members have been identified as Capt. Muhammad Rizwan Idris, First Officer Faisal Jatoi, flight engineers Muhammad Hamid and Muhammad Arif Siddiqui, and aircraft loader Muhammad Taufiq Khan. Ghulam Nabi Bahrani, the father-in-law of co-pilot Faisal Jatoi, stated that the family had been in regular contact with him prior to the flight.
Military and civilian search teams located wreckage in the Arabian Sea after approximately 12 hours of searching. The Pakistan Airports Authority reported that various air and sea assets were utilized in the search efforts. The crew had reported a navigation system problem shortly before losing contact, and radar data indicated a rapid descent before the aircraft disappeared from radar.
The aircraft, a 27-year-old Boeing 737-400 freighter, is the only plane operated by K2 Airways, which was established in 2018. The airline expressed its commitment to praying for the safety of the crew members. The Pakistan Navy's frigate PNS Zulfiqar and aircraft from the air force were deployed to assist in the search operation.