TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A Boeing 737 cargo plane with five crew members on board lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday night, Pakistani aviation authorities said.
The aircraft had reported a technical problem while on its way from Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to Karachi. The incident has triggered search and rescue operations.
Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) said radar systems showed the aircraft descending rapidly and communication was lost.
According to global flight-tracking service, Flightradar24.com, preliminary data sent from the plane "indicated a loss of altitude, followed by a climb, and then a second, sudden and dramatic loss of altitude."
The last transmitted data point placed the aircraft at 1,100 feet (335 meters) above sea level, with a vertical rate of minus 22,400 feet per minute, which is considred to be an extremely steep and abnormal rate of descent.
The plane was flying over the Arabian Sea near Ormara in Balochistan, Pakistan, when it went missing, according to local media Geo News.
Passenger plane converted to cargo
The PAA said a rescue coordination center has been activated and a search effort launched at sea to locate the missing aircraft has been deployed.
The aircraft was operated by K2 Airways, a private cargo airline in Pakistan that operates scheduled and charter flights domestically and internationally.
Formerly, the aircraft was a passenger plane, manufactured in 1999, which had been operated by Aeroflot and Garuda Indonesia before being converted to a cargo configuration in 2012.
The last time a jetliner accident took place in Karachi was in May 2020 when a Pakistani plane carrying 98 people crashed in a crowded neighborhood near the airport, after an apparent engine failure during landing.
Pakistan released a report concluded that the crash, in which all but one of the passengers perished, was caused by human error from the pilot, the co-pilot and air traffic control.
Read: Pakistan's Geo News Apologizes for Muharram Broadcast
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
Pakistan's Geo News Apologizes for Muharram Broadcast
9 hari lalu
Pakistani broadcaster Geo News on Sunday apologized for airing a documentary after it was handed a 15-day suspension a day earlier.
Pakistan: Roadside Bombs Kill 7 in Northwest
17 hari lalu
A police officer said twin blasts in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were triggered remotely.
Pakistan Conducts New Strikes on Afghanistan, Says Taliban
27 hari lalu
Pakistani airstrikes have hit three Afghan provinces, according to Kabul's Taliban government. It says 13 people have been killed in the fresh strikes
Today's Top 3 News: Trump Name Removal from Kennedy Center
38 hari lalu
Here is the list of the top 3 news on Tempo English today.
For Pakistan, Joining Abraham Accords Is a Tricky Choice
40 hari lalu
US President Donald Trump wants Pakistan and some other Muslim-majority nations to normalize ties with Israel through the Abraham Accords.
Deadly Blast Hits Train in Pakistan's Balochistan
44 hari lalu
A blast on a train in Pakistan's Balochistan province has killed at least 24 people and injured dozens more.
Pakistani Warships Dock in Jakarta, Here's the Visit Agenda
47 hari lalu
Three Pakistani warships-PNS Taimur, Hangor submarine, and PNS Aslat-docked in Jakarta on a courtesy visit to strengthen ties with Indonesia's navy.
Iran Handed US Revised Peace Proposal, Says Pakistan
50 hari lalu
Pakistan, which has been hosting stalled ceasefire talks, said the US and Iran "keep changing their goal posts."
Iran Responds to US War Proposal Via Pakistani Mediator
58 hari lalu
Iran responds to the latest United States (US) proposal regarding efforts to end the war through Pakistani mediator.
US Transfers Crew of Seized Iranian Ship to Pakistan
4 Mei 2026
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said that the "confidence-building measure" was supported by both sides.
