Pakistan cargo plane vanishes over Arabian Sea, PM Shehbaz Sharif orders massive search

According to reports, the aircraft disappeared on Tuesday while operating a flight from Sharjah to Karachi.

A K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft reportedly vanished from radar over the Arabian Sea, around 300 kilometres west of Karachi, late on Tuesday night, the Pakistani newspaper said.

K2 Airways is a private airline that began operations in 2018.

The aircraft reportedly lost communication as it approached Pakistani airspace.

In a post on X, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari expressed concern over the missing aircraft.

"The President extended heartfelt condolences to the families of the aircraft's crew and expressed complete solidarity with them during this hour of trial," he said in a statement quoted by Dawn News.

The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said the aircraft reported a navigational system issue at 9:18 pm and was immediately assisted by the Karachi Area Control Centre.

However, at 9:21 pm, air traffic controllers observed the aircraft on radar making a sharp change in heading while rapidly losing altitude.

Shortly afterwards, radar contact and communication with the aircraft were lost approximately 287 kilometres west of Karachi, the PAA said.

Authorities have launched an extensive search and rescue operation involving the CAA, Pakistan Navy and PAF to locate the missing aircraft and its crew.