7 killed as Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance crashes in Jharkhand’s Chatra

All seven persons on board a Ranchi-Delhi air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening, officials said.

The Beechcraft C90 aircraft, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, took off from Ranchi at 7.11 pm on a medical evacuation flight to Delhi. It reportedly went missing around 7.30 pm before crashing in the Bariatu Panchayat area of Simaria, deep inside a forest.

Chatra deputy commissioner Keerthishree G. confirmed the fatalities. “All seven on board the air ambulance were killed in the crash. The plane was on the way to Delhi from Ranchi,” she told PTI.

SDPO Shubham Khandelwal said the bodies have been retrieved and identified as captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi, and Dhuru Kumar.

According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aircraft was operating a medical evacuation flight when it lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi. The DGCA said the aircraft had established contact at 7.34 pm before communication was lost.

Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said the plane lost contact with air traffic control around 20 minutes after takeoff. He noted that inclement weather could be a possible factor, though the exact cause will be determined after a probe.

An Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team is being dispatched to investigate the crash. The district administration’s search and rescue teams have already reached the site.

The ill-fated flight had been arranged for a critically injured patient. Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, said 41-year-old Sanjay Kumar from Chandwa in Latehar district had been admitted with 65 per cent burn injuries on 16 February. His family decided to shift him to Delhi for advanced treatment and arranged the air ambulance. He left the hospital around 4.30 pm on Monday.

Delhi-based Redbird Airways is a non-scheduled operator with six aircraft in its fleet, according to DGCA records.

Expressing grief, former Jharkhand chief minister and BJP leader Champai Soren said he was deeply saddened by the tragedy and prayed for the deceased and strength for their families.

With PTI inputs