Civilian and naval search teams on Wednesday recovered the wreckage of a cargo aircraft that disappeared while approaching Pakistan's southern port city of Karachi, officials said, as cited by AP.
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Pakistan Navy personnel, assisted by civilian aircraft and vessels, recovered the wreckage from the Arabian Sea after nearly 12 hours of search operations, the Pakistan Airports Authority said in a post on X.
A search operation remained underway to locate the five crew members who were on board the aircraft.
Search efforts were continuing to locate the five people who were on board the aircraft.
Three officials familiar with the search operation, speaking on condition of anonymity said the vast search area in the Arabian Sea and rough monsoon conditions were hampering search-and-rescue efforts, as cited by AP.
The aircraft, operated by private airline K2 Airways, had taken off from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates and reported a navigation system issue before losing contact with air traffic control late Tuesday.
In a statement, K2 Airways identified the missing crew members as Captain Muhammad Rizwan Idris, First Officer Faisal Jatoi, flight engineers Muhammad Hamid and Muhammad Arif Siddiqui, and aircraft loader Muhammad Taufiq Khan.
According to officials, the Pakistan Navy deployed frigate PNS Zulfiqar to the area where contact with the aircraft was lost. The Pakistan Air Force also joined the search operation, deploying aircraft, while a Pakistan Navy ATR aircraft was sent from the southwestern city of Turbat.
A merchant vessel operated by the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation also took part in the search, officials said.
Aviation expert Imran Aslam, speaking to local broadcaster ARY News late Tuesday, said the cause of the aircraft's disappearance from radar remained unclear. He noted that even in the event of an engine failure, an aircraft would typically continue to glide rather than descend abruptly, adding that the exact cause could only be determined after investigators gathered further evidence.
The incident comes years after a Pakistan International Airlines flight carrying 98 passengers crashed into a residential area near Karachi airport while attempting to land in May 2020.
All but one of the 99 people on board were killed, with a subsequent government investigation attributing the crash to human error by the pilots and air traffic controllers.
