Wreckage of missing Pakistani cargo plane found, says airports authority

3 min readUpdated: Jul 8, 2026 08:47 PM IST

A K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 aircraft lost contact with the control room about 300 kilometres west of Karachi as it was approaching Pakistani airspace. (AI-generated image/Gemini)

The wreckage of a K2 Airways cargo Boeing 737 that disappeared after losing contact with air traffic control while approaching Karachi has been found in the Arabian Sea, Pakistan’s Airports Authority said on Wednesday. Search teams are continuing efforts to locate the five crew members who remain missing.

The debris was recovered about 53 nautical miles south of Ormara port after a nearly 12-hour search involving the Pakistan Navy, Air Force and civilian rescue agencies. The aircraft had departed Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday evening and reported a navigational system malfunction shortly before contact was lost.

What happened?

According to Pakistan’s Airports Authority, radar data showed the aircraft making a sharp change in heading before rapidly descending. Radio and radar contact was lost at around 9:21 pm local time, approximately 155 nautical miles west of Karachi.

K2 Airways #KTA1732 is reportedly missing. Preliminary ADS-B data indicate a possible crash in the sea southwest of Karachi. https://t.co/IIMDHaGTAy pic.twitter.com/KbyI5kKmh1

— Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) July 7, 2026

Authorities activated a large-scale search-and-rescue operation shortly afterwards, deploying naval vessels, military aircraft and civilian resources across the Arabian Sea. A Pakistan Navy frigate, PNS Zulfiqar, naval surveillance aircraft, Pakistan Air Force planes and merchant vessels joined the search.

Crew still missing

K2 Airways said all five people on board remain unaccounted for and that it is fully cooperating with Pakistani authorities.

The missing crew members have been identified as:

Capt. Muhammad Rizwan Idris

First Officer Faisal Jatoi

Flight Engineer Muhammad Hamid

Flight Engineer Muhammad Arif Siddiqui

Aircraft Loader Muhammad Taufiq Khan

“We continue to pray earnestly for the safety of our colleagues,” the airline said in a statement.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sympathy for the families of the missing crew and directed authorities to deploy all available resources for the search.

Investigation to follow

While the aircraft had reported a navigational system problem before disappearing, aviation experts cautioned that the exact cause remains unclear.

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Aviation analyst Imran Aslam told Pakistani broadcaster ARY News that even with an engine failure, an aircraft would normally continue gliding rather than descend suddenly, suggesting investigators will need to examine the recovered wreckage to determine what happened.

Pakistan has witnessed several major aviation accidents in recent years, including the 2020 Pakistan International Airlines crash near Karachi that killed 97 people. Investigators later blamed pilot and air traffic control errors for the disaster.

(With inputs from Reuters, AP)

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