KARACHI: Pakistani authorities have launched a search and rescue operation at sea to locate a missing cargo flight with five crew members on board, on its way to Karachi from Sharjah, after it lost communication near the Pakistani port city, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said on Tuesday.
The K2 Airways B737 cargo flight first reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 p.m. Pakistan Standard Time (PST), the PAA said in a statement. It added that the flight was promptly guided by the Karachi Area Control Center (ACC).
However, at 9:21 p.m., the authority said the aircraft was observed on radar as it rapidly descended with a “rapid heading change.” It added that radar contact and communication were lost with the aircraft at approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.
“Following the occurrence, the Rescue Coordination Center was activated, and a coordinated Search & Rescue operation at sea was launched through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft,” the PAA said.
It added that five crew members were aboard the missing aircraft.
The PAA did not provide any further statement about the aircraft or the rescue operation.
