Rescuers continue deep-sea search for cargo plane crew in Arabian Sea

Search and rescue teams continued efforts on Thursday to locate five crew members of a K2 Airways cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea off Pakistan's southern coast, as authorities pressed ahead with a deep-sea recovery operation.

The Boeing 737-400 freighter was flying from Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates to Karachi on Tuesday night when it went down after reporting a navigational problem, according to the Pakistan Airports Authority.

The wreckage was found about 53 nautical miles (98 kilometres) south of Ormara on Wednesday. Pakistan Navy and maritime security teams are continuing the search for the crew and the aircraft's flight recorders. No survivors have been found so far.

K2 Airways said the aircraft was carrying five people — two pilots, two engineers and one member of the support staff. Their status has not been officially confirmed.

An aviation expert said the recovery could be one of Pakistan's most challenging underwater operations in recent years because the crash site is believed to be in waters between 2,500 and 3,500 metres deep. Strong currents, poor visibility and uneven seabed terrain could complicate the operation, the expert added.