Search continues for K2 Airways crew as more wreckage is recovered

Islamabad: Pakistani authorities said on Friday that search efforts were still underway for the five crew members of a K2 Airways cargo aircraft that crashed into the Arabian Sea, while more debris from the plane has been recovered.

In a statement, the Pakistan Aviation Authority said the Pakistan Navy and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency were continuing deep-sea search and rescue operations. The authority said additional parts of the aircraft had been found and taken into custody for examination by the investigation team.

The PAA said the mission was continuing with coordinated air and sea assets.

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

the authority said. It added:

“Additional parts and debris of the ill-fated aircraft have been located and retrieved for subsequent analysis by the investigation team,”

The Boeing 737-400 cargo plane had been flying from Sharjah to Karachi when it disappeared from radar over the Arabian Sea on Tuesday night, around 300 kilometres west of Karachi, as it approached Pakistani airspace. According to the PAA, the pilot had reported a navigation problem during the flight and sought help from the area control centre. The aircraft was carrying five crew members: two pilots, two engineers and one support staffer. After 12 hours of search operations, wreckage was located on Wednesday 53 nautical miles, or 98 kilometres, south of Ormara port. K2 Airways is a Karachi-based private airline that was established in May 2018 after receiving a government charter licence.