To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
An urgent search has been launched after a plane with five people on board disappeared over the Arabian Sea.
The alarm was raised yesterday evening after the K2 Airways cargo plane vanished from radar while flying off the coast of Pakistan carrying five crew.
The Boeing 737 had taken off from Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, bound for the port city of Karachi, when something caused the plane to descend rapidly.
Plane tracking website Flightradar24 said the aircraft lost altitude, then climbed again before a second ‘dramatic’ loss of altitude.
The flight KTA1732 last pinged on radar at 16:21 UTC.
Sign up for all of the latest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
Aircraft in the area, including the K2 plane, experienced GPS interference in the area, Flightradar said. GPS jamming can be caused by intentional and atmospheric conditions, and it is not known what may have triggered the interference.
The carrier said in a statement: ‘K2 Airways is fully cooperating with the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority and other government agencies.
‘We continue to pray, earnestly, for the safety of our colleagues.’
K2 Airways was established in 2018 in Pakistan.
It operates to four destinations in Asia and the Middle East using its one Boeing 737, which is now missing.
It began operating the 27-year-old plane in 2024.
Pakistan’s aviation has been hit by deadly crashes in recent years.
In May 2020, a Pakistan International Airlines Flight 8303 from Lahore to Karachi crashed on approach to the airport, killing 97 people on board and one person on the ground.
Two people survived the tragedy, which has been blamed on an engine failure.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.