Families of the five crew members aboard a K2 Airways cargo flight remained in limbo as search operations continued following the aircraft's crash into the Arabian Sea. The missing include co-pilot Faisal Jatoi, whose relatives said they were alarmed when they could not contact him and found the word "crash" in an internet search.
Jatoi's father-in-law, Ghulam Nabi Bahrani, said the family learned of the incident late and that the shock was immediate. Bahrani, speaking at his home in Karachi, said Jatoi leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old son. "That moment felt like doomsday for us," he said.
The aircraft involved was a 27-year-old Boeing 737-400 that had been converted into a freighter. According to Bahrani, the jet had spent 10 days in Sharjah for repairs after completing a cargo delivery and had been awaiting a spare part from the United States before the crew could return.
Authorities reported a navigational problem at 9:18 p.m. Pakistan time (1618 GMT) on the flight's approach to Karachi. Publicly available flight tracking data showed erratic changes in altitude before the aircraft entered a steep descent.
Wreckage was located on Wednesday by Pakistani rescuers during a deep-sea search operation, approximately 53 nautical miles, or 98 km, south of Ormara port. K2 Airways identified the five people on board as two pilots, two engineers and one support staff member. Their precise status has not been officially declared.
Naval and maritime security teams have focused efforts on locating the aircraft's flight recorders. An aviation expert, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, warned that the recovery could rank among Pakistan's most difficult due to extreme water depths. Parts of the Arabian Sea in the search area range from about 2,500 to more than 3,500 metres deep.
That expert also noted environmental and technical challenges that could hinder recovery work, including strong currents, poor underwater visibility, uneven seabed terrain and changing sea states. These factors can complicate attempts to retrieve submerged wreckage and critical recording devices.
Context and ongoing efforts
Rescue teams continued methodical searches from surface vessels and maritime security assets aiming to locate and recover components that could explain the events leading to the crash. Searchers are prioritizing the flight recorders as part of an effort to understand the sequence of events after the navigational issue was reported.
While investigators and recovery teams press on, families of the missing face an uncertain wait for definitive information about their loved ones.