The wreckage of a private cargo aircraft that went missing while returning to Pakistan from Sharjah has been found at sea.
The wreckage was located 53 nautical miles south of the Ormara coast. The Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency found the debris during a search operation that continued for more than 12 hours at sea.
Rescue operations are continuing to search for further evidence and the crew members, while naval and aerial assets of the Pakistan Navy and PMSA remain engaged in the search mission.
The private cargo aircraft went missing over the sea near Karachi while flying from Sharjah to Pakistan on Wednesday.
A Pakistan Airports Authority spokesperson had confirmed that communication with the private cargo aircraft was lost during its flight from Sharjah to Karachi.
Five crew members were on board the aircraft.
According to the Pakistan Airports Authority, at 9:18 pm the aircraft reported a navigation system fault while flying on airway G216, around 150 miles south of Karachi, and requested a heading for guidance.
The aircraft was instructed to maintain its existing direction. However, it was later observed turning to the right and rapidly losing altitude.
Officials said the aircraft was descending at a rate of 15,000 feet.
Several attempts were made to contact the aircraft, but no response was received. At 9:21 pm, the plane disappeared from radar around 155 miles west of Karachi.
