Seven Dead as Air Ambulance Crashes in Jharkhand

Debris of the plane in Kasiyatu forest in Simaria, near Chatra, in Jharkhand on Sunday.

Seven people were killed after a chartered air ambulance crashed in eastern Jharkhand, authorities said on Tuesday.

India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said the Beechcraft C90 aircraft was operating a medical evacuation flight when it went down on Monday in the Kasaria area.

Rescue and medical teams rushed to the crash site, reportedly located deep inside a forest that was difficult to access. Officials confirmed that all seven people on board were found dead, including two crew members.

“The team of doctors found them and declared them dead,” local administrative official Keerthishree G told reporters.

According to the DGCA, the aircraft — operated by Redbird Airways — had requested a route deviation due to bad weather. Contact with air traffic control was lost about 23 minutes after take-off.

Investigators from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau have been dispatched to determine the cause of the crash.

The accident follows another fatal aviation incident in January, when a political leader from Maharashtra and four others died after their chartered aircraft crashed while landing in the city of Baramati, underscoring ongoing concerns about small aircraft safety in India.