Pakistan retrieves more wreckage in search for missing cargo plane crew

Pakistan's aviation authorities said on Friday (July 10) that search and rescue operations were continuing for the five crew members aboard a K2 Airways cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea, as investigators recovered additional wreckage from the crash site.

The Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA) said personnel from the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency were continuing coordinated operations in deep waters off the country's southern coast, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

“The search for the crew members is continuing with full vigour through the coordinated employment of aerial and sea-borne assets,” it said.

The authority added that investigators had recovered more debris from the aircraft to aid the ongoing inquiry.

“Additional parts and debris of the ill-fated aircraft have been located and retrieved for subsequent analysis by the investigation team,” it said, adding that updates would be shared as the search and rescue operations continued.

The Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft disappeared from radar late on Tuesday while flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi.

The aircraft lost contact over the Arabian Sea, around 300 kilometres west of Karachi, as it approached Pakistani airspace.

According to authorities, the pilot reported a navigation problem during the flight and requested assistance from air traffic controllers before communication was lost.

Five people were on board the aircraft, including two pilots, two engineers and one support staff member.

Following more than 12 hours of search efforts, the aircraft's wreckage was located on July 8, about 53 nautical miles (98 kilometres) south of Ormara port in Pakistan's Balochistan province.

K2 Airways is a Karachi-based private airline established in 2018 after receiving a government-issued air charter licence. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

By Aghakazim Guliyev