7 on board die as air ambulance crashes in India's Jharkhand

The air ambulance had been arranged to transfer a patient with burn wounds to Delhi

All seven people on board an air ambulance have been killed after it crashed in India’s Jharkhand state.

The aircraft went down near Simaria in Chatra district while travelling from Ranchi to Delhi on Monday evening, Indian broadcaster NDTV reports.

According to NDTV, quoting Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G, the plane, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, took off from Ranchi at 7:11pm. It reportedly went missing around 7:30pm before crashing in the forested Bariatu Panchayat area.

Sub-divisional police officer Shubham Khandelwal said all seven bodies were recovered from the crash site, NDTV reported.

The victims were identified as pilots Capt Vivek Vikas Bhagat and Capt Savrajdeep Singh, patient Sanjay Kumar, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.

According to NDTV, citing Anant Sinha, chief executive officer of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, the air ambulance had been arranged to transfer 41-year-old Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Latehar, who had been undergoing treatment for 65 percent burn injuries since Feb 16.

Family members said they chose air transfer after doctors warned he might not survive a road journey.

Local residents reported severe weather at the time of the crash, including strong winds, heavy rain and thunder. Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said the aircraft lost contact with air traffic control about 20 minutes after takeoff, NDTV reported, adding that adverse weather may have played a role. However, the exact cause will be determined after an investigation.

India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the Beechcraft C90 aircraft (VT-AJV) lost communication and radar contact after establishing contact with Kolkata at 7:34pm, approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi, NDTV reported.

An investigation has been launched by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. Officials said the aircraft’s black box would help determine the cause of the crash.

Political leaders have expressed condolences, and calls have been made for a thorough probe into the incident.

Redbird Airways, founded in 2018, operates non-scheduled flights and has a fleet of six aircraft, according to aviation authorities.