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HYDERABAD - Pakistan has launched a major search operation for a Boeing 737 cargo aircraft that went missing with five crew members off Karachi city on Tuesday night.
The plane belonging to Karachi-based K2 Airways lost contact with air traffic controllers 155 nautical miles (287 kilometres) west of the port city, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said in social media posts.
The plane was flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi.
At at 9.18 pm local time, the pilot reported a navigational system problem and Karachi air traffic controllers immediately tried to guide the plane.
However, three minutes later it was observed rapidly descending before completely disappearing off radar over the Arabian Sea.
A search and rescue operation at sea was subsequently launched through various agencies to locate the missing aircraft, the PAA said.
The Pakistan Navy's frigate PNS Zulfiqar and the Air Force's Saab aircraft are participating in the search along with other maritime and air assets, Pakistani television channels reported.
Pakistan National Shipping Corporation's merchant vessel Lahore was also deployed to assist in the operation. - BERNAMA
