Pakistan finds cargo plane wreckage in Arabian Sea

Pakistan's airports authority said Wednesday that wreckage from a K2 Airways Cargo Boeing 737 had been found in the Arabian Sea, while rescuers continued searching for five crew members.

The Pakistan Airports Authority said the plane was approaching Karachi from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday evening when it reported a navigational system issue and was later seen on radar rapidly descending.

The authority said Pakistan's navy and maritime rescue agency located and identified the wreckage after a 12-hour search off Ormara on Pakistan's southern coast.

It said communication with the aircraft was lost about 155 nautical miles west of Karachi. Flightradar24.com said preliminary data from the plane showed a loss of altitude, then a climb, followed by a second sudden loss of altitude.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the incident before the wreckage was found. A person familiar with the matter told AFP that navy and merchant vessels were involved in the search, supported by military aircraft.