Search for crew continues after Boeing cargo plane crash

Lead

Rescue crews have recovered debris from a Boeing 737 cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea off Pakistan's coast, with five crew members still missing as the search continues, according to multiple reports. The aircraft, operated by K2 Airways, was en route to Karachi from the United Arab Emirates when it disappeared from radar on Tuesday night.

Coverage Comparison

ABC Australia reported that rescue crews have recovered debris from the plane, which was a Boeing 737 cargo aircraft, and that the Pakistan Airports Authority shared radar data showing the plane's rapid descent before contact was lost. Al Jazeera reported that rescuers located submerged wreckage from the aircraft, which disappeared on approach to Karachi, and that the pilot reported a problem with the navigational system. Dawn reported that the search for the crew of a cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea is ongoing, with additional wreckage located, and identified the plane as a K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft en route from Sharjah to Karachi.

Key Claims

• The plane was a K2 Airways Boeing 737 cargo aircraft, as reported by Al Jazeera and Dawn.
• Five crew members are missing, as reported by multiple sources.
• The plane was en route to Karachi from the UAE, as reported by ABC Australia and Dawn.
• The pilot reported a navigation problem during the flight, as reported by Al Jazeera and Dawn.
• The Pakistan Airports Authority shared radar data showing the plane's rapid descent, as reported by ABC Australia.
• A similar crash occurred in 2020, killing 98 people, as reported by ABC Australia and Al Jazeera.
• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sympathy with the crew's families, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Search and Rescue Efforts

According to ABC Australia, the Pakistan Airports Authority shared data indicating that the plane rapidly descended before radar and radio contact were lost at about 9:21 pm local time on Tuesday, approximately 155 nautical miles (290 kilometres) west of Karachi. Rescue crews from the Pakistan Navy and civilian units have been searching in rough sea conditions.

Al Jazeera reported that navy and civilian searchers in planes and boats discovered remnants of the plane on Wednesday in the Arabian Sea, 53 nautical miles (98 km) south of Ormara port. Retired Rear Admiral Faisal Shah told the Associated Press that the main wreckage of the plane was still being searched for and could require specialised deep-sea equipment to locate. He noted that ocean currents, waves, and wind could carry floating wreckage far from where the aircraft went down.

Dawn reported that the Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA) said on Friday that the search for the crew was ongoing, with additional wreckage located and retrieved for analysis by the investigation team. The PAA said the search and rescue missions by the Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency in the deep sea were still in progress.

The five missing crew members were identified by K2 Airways as pilot Muhammad Rizwan Idris, co-pilot Faisal Jatoi, flight engineers Muhammad Hamid and Muhammad Arif Siddiqui, and aircraft loader Muhammad Taufiq Khan, according to ABC Australia and Al Jazeera.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sympathy with the crew's families and directed the government to deploy all available resources for the search, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Crash Details and Background

The plane disappeared from radar over the Arabian Sea, about 300 kilometres west of Karachi, while approaching Pakistani airspace, according to Dawn. The pilot had reported a navigation problem during the flight and requested assistance from the area control centre. K2 Airways is a private airline based in Karachi, established in May 2018 after being granted an airline charter licence by the government, Dawn reported.

Pakistan's last fatal air crash occurred in 2020, when a Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed in Karachi, killing 97 people, as reported by Al Jazeera. ABC Australia reported that in May 2020, a Pakistan International Airlines flight carrying 98 people crashed into a densely populated neighbourhood near Karachi airport while attempting to land.