Metro53 - KARACHI: A cargo aircraft en route from Sharjah to Karachi went missing after losing contact with air traffic control late Tuesday night, prompting authorities to launch a search and rescue operation over the Arabian Sea.
According to a statement issued by the operating company, communication with the aircraft was lost at 9:21pm while it was approaching Karachi.
The company said five crew members were on board the aircraft, including Captain Muhammad Rizwan Idris, First Officer Faisal Mahmood, Loadmaster Muhammad Toufeeq, Engineer Arif Siddiqui, and Muhammad Hamid.
Meanwhile, sources said the office of the private company operating the aircraft at Jinnah International Airport has been sealed to preserve official records as part of the investigation.
An air traffic controller told Geo News that the pilot did not issue a Mayday distress call before contact was lost, suggesting the emergency may have developed too suddenly for the crew to transmit a distress signal.
Sources further claimed the aircraft had recently undergone repairs in Sharjah after developing a technical fault and had remained there for five days. It was reportedly returning to Karachi on a ferry flight, carrying no cargo.
The repairs were carried out by a company identified as Northern Techniques, according to the sources.
A spokesperson for the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said the Rescue Coordination Centre was activated immediately after the aircraft went missing. A search and rescue operation has been launched at sea, with multiple agencies participating in efforts to locate the aircraft.
Authorities have not yet confirmed the cause of the incident, and the search operation remains ongoing.
