A Boeing 737 cargo aircraft carrying five crew members has crashed into the Arabian Sea after disappearing from radar shortly after departing from Sharjah for Karachi.

The aircraft, operated by K2 Airways, reportedly lost contact with air traffic control on Tuesday night following a navigation system malfunction while en route to Pakistan's commercial capital.

Flight tracking data indicated that the aircraft suffered a sharp loss of altitude before briefly climbing again, only to experience a second rapid descent, suggesting it plunged into the sea off Pakistan's coast.

Pakistan's aviation authorities confirmed that search and rescue operations were immediately launched following the incident.

In a statement posted on Facebook, K2 Airways said the aircraft "lost contact with air traffic control at about 21:21 hours according to Pakistan time."

The airline added that "search and rescue operations are being conducted by the concerned organisations."

Meanwhile, Shehbaz Sharif expressed condolences to the families of the victims.

According to a statement shared by the Pakistani government on X, the Prime Minister conveyed his "profound grief and sorrow over the tragic incident" and extended heartfelt sympathies to the families of the five crew members after the aircraft crashed into the Arabian Sea.

K2 Airways identified those on board as Captain Mohammad Rizwan Idrees, First Officer Faisal Mehmood, Load Master Muhammad Toufique Khan, and engineers Arif Siddiqui and Mohammad Hamid.

The cause of the crash has not yet been officially established. Authorities are expected to investigate the circumstances surrounding the navigation system failure while search teams continue efforts to locate the wreckage and recover the crew.