Air Ambulance Crash Kills All Seven in Jharkhand’s Chatra

New Delhi, February 24 (TNA) A tragic air crash claimed seven lives when a Redbird Airways Beechcraft C90 air ambulance plummeted into a forested area near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening.

The medical evacuation flight, carrying a burn patient, doctor, paramedic, two attendants, pilot, and co-pilot from Ranchi to Delhi, took off from Birsa Munda Airport at 7:11 PM but lost radar contact with Kolkata ATC at 7:34 PM, about 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi.

The wreckage was located around 10:20 PM in dense terrain, with all aboard declared dead at the scene, including critically injured patient Sanjay Kumar from Latehar, who had 65% burns. Rescue teams faced challenges navigating the forest; bodies were recovered and sent for post-mortem, as DGCA dispatched a probe team to retrieve the black box.

Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G confirmed the fatalities, noting the plane had requested deviation due to weather before vanishing from radar. Authorities are investigating potential causes amid the outpouring of grief for the victims.