All Seven Passengers Dead after Ranchi-Delhi Air Ambulance Crashes in Jharkhand's Chatra

Colombo (News 1st): All seven people on board were feared dead as an air ambulance transporting a burn victim from Ranchi to New Delhi crashed in Jharkhand’s Chatra district last night, in the latest safety crisis to hit India’s aviation sector.

According to authorities, the number of casualties could not be confirmed as the accident site was deep in the forest.

The aircraft, a Beechcraft C90 operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways, took off from Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi at 7:11 PM Indian time last night, according to a statement by aviation regulator DGCA. 

After establishing contact with Kolkata, at 7:34 PM, the aircraft , with the tail number VT-AJV , lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 Nautical Miles South-East of Varanasi, and shortly after that, the plane went down in the forest near Simaria.

The patient who was been transferred, a 41-year-old male, had suffered 63% flame burns following a petroleum-related accident and was undergoing ICU treatment. He was being airlifted from Ranchi to Delhi for advanced care at a higher medical centre when the crash occurred.

Source: Hindustan Times