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Officials said the Karachi-bound aircraft, operated by the
private carrier K2 Airways, reported a navigational system issue
while flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates with five
people on board. The search is still ongoing, according to three
officials familiar with the rescue operation.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the
sensitive nature of the possible crash.
They added that the vast search area in the Arabian Sea and
rough monsoon seas were posing significant challenges to the
search-and-rescue operation.
There has been no official confirmation of the aircraft’s fate.
In a statement, K2 Airways said search and rescue operations are
still being conducted by Pakistani authorities and the company
was fully cooperating with the aviation authorities.
“We continue to pray earnestly for the safety of our
colleagues,” it said.
Earlier, Pakistan’s Airports Authority said on X that radar data
showed the aircraft making a sharp change in heading and rapidly
descending before radar and radio contact were lost at about
9:21 p.m., approximately 155 nautical miles (287 kilometers, 178
miles) west of Karachi.
According to the authority, Pakistan’s military and civilian
agencies activated the Rescue Coordination Center and launched
search-and-rescue operations at sea shortly after the aircraft
went missing.
According to the officials, Pakistan Navy frigate PNS Zulfiqar
was dispatched to the area where contact with the aircraft was
lost. The Pakistan Air Force also deployed aircraft to assist in
the search, while a Pakistan Navy ATR aircraft took off from the
southwestern city of Turbat.
A merchant vessel operated by the Pakistan National Shipping
Corp. also joined the operation, officials said.
Aviation expert Imran Aslam told local broadcaster ARY News late
Tuesday that it remained unclear what caused the aircraft to
disappear from radar. He said that even if an aircraft suffered
an engine failure, it would normally continue gliding rather
than plunge suddenly. He said the exact cause would become clear
only after investigators gathered more evidence.
In May 2020, a Pakistan International Airlines flight carrying
98 people crashed into a densely populated neighborhood near
Karachi airport while attempting to land. All but one 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.
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