Thai Air station manager found dead at Karachi airport, inquiry underway

Passengers wait outside at Jinnah International airport in Karachi on May 7, 2025. (AFP/File)
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Updated 14 December 2025
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Thai Air station manager found dead at Karachi airport, inquiry underway

  • Airport authorities say preliminary assessments point to a cardiac incident
  • CCTV footage is being secured and police and medical teams informed

ISLAMABAD: A station manager for Thai Air was found dead at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan’s Airports Authority confirmed on Sunday, adding that preliminary indications pointed to a cardiac incident but an inquiry was still underway.

Local media reported a day earlier the body was found inside the Thai Air office at the airport terminal after the employee had not been seen for several hours. Initial medical assessments cited by local outlets suggested no immediate signs of foul play.

“A preliminary inquiry is underway,” Saifullah, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA), who uses a single name, said in a statement.

“The Airport Security Force has been instructed to preserve nearby CCTV footage, while police and medical teams have been informed,” he added. “A detailed report will be submitted once the investigation is completed.”

Thai Air, the national carrier of Thailand, has long been used by Pakistani travelers flying to Bangkok and onward destinations in Southeast Asia, particularly for tourism and business travel.

Many Pakistani travelers also reach Thailand and other destinations in the region by first flying to Middle Eastern hubs such as Dubai, Doha or Abu Dhabi, before catching connecting flights.

However, these routes typically add to travel time compared with direct or near-direct options.


At ECO meeting, Pakistan proposes ‘Regional Innovation Hub’ to curb natural disasters

Updated 21 January 2026
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At ECO meeting, Pakistan proposes ‘Regional Innovation Hub’ to curb natural disasters

  • Pakistan hosts high-level 10th ECO Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction in Islamabad
  • Innovation hub to focus on early warning technologies, risk informed infrastructure planning

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has proposed to set up a “Regional Innovation Hub on Disaster Risk Reduction” that focuses on early warning technologies and risk informed infrastructure planning, the Press Information Department (PID) said on Wednesday, as Islamabad hosts a high-level meeting of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO).

The ECO’s 10th Ministerial Meeting on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is being held from Jan. 21-22 at the headquarters of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) in Pakistan’s capital. 

The high-level regional forum brings together ministers, and senior officials from ECO member states, representatives of the ECO Secretariat and regional and international partner organizations. The event is aimed to strengthen collective efforts toward enhancing disaster resilience across the ECO region, the PID said. 

“Key agenda items include regional cooperation on early warning systems, disaster risk information management, landslide hazard zoning, inclusive disaster preparedness initiatives, and Pakistan’s proposal to establish a Regional Innovation Hub on Disaster Risk Reduction, focusing on early warning technologies, satellite data utilization, and risk-informed infrastructure planning,” the statement said. 

The meeting was attended by delegations from ECO member states including Pakistan, Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Representatives of regional and international organizations and development partners were also in attendance.

Discussions focused on enhancing regional coordination, harmonizing disaster risk reduction frameworks, and strengthening collective preparedness against transboundary and climate-induced hazards impacting the ECO region, the PID said. 

ECO members states such as Pakistan, Türkiye, Afghanistan and others have faced natural calamities such as floods and earthquakes in recent years that have killed tens of thousands of people. 

Heavy rains triggered catastrophic floods in Pakistan in 2022 and 2025 that killed thousands of people and caused damages to critical infrastructure, inflicting losses worth billions of dollars. 

Islamabad has since then called on regional countries to join hands to cooperate to avert future climate disasters and promote early warning systems to avoid calamities in future.