Wreckage of K2 Airways Cargo Boeing 737 Found in Arabian Sea

Pakistani rescuers recovered wreckage from a K2 Airways cargo Boeing 737 that disappeared while approaching Karachi on July 8. Debris was located 53 nautical miles south of Ormara port in the Arabian Sea. The 27-year-old converted freighter reported a navigational system problem at 9:18 p.m.

Pakistan Standard Time. Air traffic control lost contact three minutes later when the aircraft was about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. Flightradar24 data showed the plane plunging about 5,000 feet in less than a minute, then climbing about 6,000 feet in 30 seconds before a final dive from 36,550 feet.

The last data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute. The plane carried five crew members: pilot Muhammad Rizwan Idris, co-pilot Faisal Jatoi, flight engineers Muhammad Hamid and Muhammad Arif Siddiqui, and aircraft loader Muhammad Taufiq Khan. Navy and civilian searchers in planes and boats discovered the remnants the same day.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to speed up search and rescue operations and expressed heartfelt condolences to the crew’s families. Retired Rear Admiral Faisal Shah said the main wreckage was still being searched for and may require specialised deep-sea equipment. K2 Airways stated it is cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies.

The plane was the carrier’s only aircraft and entered service in 2024 after conversion to a freighter in 2012. Pakistan’s last fatal air crash occurred in 2020 when a Pakistan International Airlines flight crashed in Karachi, killing 97 people. Boeing has not yet commented on the incident.