More wreckage of Pakistan's K2 Airways cargo plane found, search on for missing crew
- Last updated: July 10, 2026 | 18:10
Pakistan Navy search teams recovered additional debris from a cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea earlier this week, with the recovered wreckage to be analysed by investigators as the search for the aircraft's five missing crew members entered its third day on Friday.
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said in a post on X that search-and-rescue operations by the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency remained underway in deep waters, with aircraft and other assets deployed in a coordinated effort to locate the missing crew.
The authority did not provide additional details, saying further updates would be shared later. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The cargo plane, operated by Karachi-based private carrier K2 Airways, disappeared from radar late on Tuesday while flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi, Pakistan, after reporting a malfunction in its navigation system.
The Navy recovered the first pieces of wreckage on Wednesday about 100 kilometres off the coastal town of Ormara on Pakistan's southwestern Makran coast in Balochistan province, but officials have said the aircraft's main fuselage and all five crew members remain missing.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has directed authorities to use all available resources to locate the missing crew members, while K2 Airways said it is extending full cooperation to civil aviation authorities investigating the crash.
The search has been complicated by rough seas, strong winds and shifting ocean currents, which can scatter floating debris over a wide area and make it more difficult to pinpoint the crash site.
The Pakistan Airports Authority has said radar data indicated the aircraft made a sharp change in heading and rapidly descended before radio and radar contact were lost at about 9:21 pm on Tuesday, about 287 kilometres west of Karachi.
Earlier, Pakistan Navy, in coordination with the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency, successfully rescued all 20 Pakistani crew members from a sinking cargo dhow operating east of Ormara after the vessel suffered severe flooding.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the rescue operation was launched immediately after the Joint Maritime Information Coordination Centre received a distress call from the vessel.
The emergency response involved close coordination between naval and maritime security authorities to ensure the safety of those on board.
PNS Hunain and the required aerial assets were immediately diverted to the area to carry out the rescue mission. The operation was conducted swiftly despite the emergency situation at sea.
All 20 crew members were safely recovered from the distressed cargo dhow.
ISPR said the rescue was made possible through the professionalism and timely response of the personnel involved in the operation.
The rescued crew members were being provided with the necessary medical attention following their recovery.
The operation highlights the Pakistan Navy's operational readiness and its close coordination with the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency in responding to maritime emergencies.
It also reflects the continued commitment of both organisations to ensuring the safety of life at sea through rapid emergency response capabilities.
Pakistan has experienced several fatal air crashes in recent decades.
In May 2020, a Pakistan International Airlines flight carrying 99 people crashed into a densely populated neighbourhood near the Karachi airport while attempting to land.
All but two of the 99 people on board were killed. A government investigation later concluded that human error by the pilots and air traffic controllers caused the crash.
Agencies