ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Navy and the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency(PMSA) located the wreckage of a missing cargo aircraft in the Arabian Sea after an overnight search, while rescue teams continued efforts to locate the five crew members on board.
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said the wreckage was found about 53 nautical miles south of Ormara after more than 12 hours of search operations. Naval ships and aircraft remained in the area conducting search and recovery efforts.
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The privately operated cargo aircraft disappeared from radar late Tuesday while flying from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to Karachi after losing contact with air traffic control about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi, according to the PAA.
The aircraft was carrying five crew members: Capt. Muhammad Rizwan Idris, First Officer Faisal Mehmood, Loadmaster Muhammad Taufiq, Engineer Arif Siddiqui, and Muhammad Hamid, the operating company said.
According to aviation authorities, the pilot did not issue a Mayday distress call before communications were lost, suggesting the emergency may have unfolded too quickly for the crew to respond.
Flight tracking data indicated the aircraft was cruising at about 35,000 feet before abruptly turning around and entering a rapid descent, losing roughly 34,000 feet in about five minutes before disappearing from radar.
The Pakistan Navy deployed warships PNS Zulfiqar and PNS Hunain, along with a naval ATR aircraft and a Pakistan Air Force Saab surveillance aircraft, to assist in the search operation. Merchant vessels in the area also participated in the effort.
Authorities said the cargo company's office at Karachi's Jinnah International Airport had been sealed as investigators began collecting records related to the incident.
More read, Cargo plane with five crew members onboard goes missing 155nm west of Karachi
The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
