The bodies of all seven people killed in an air ambulance crash in Jharkhand’s Chatra district have been brought to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination, PTI reported, as authorities launched a detailed investigation into the incident.
The Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, crashed in Chatra district on Monday evening while en route from Ranchi to Delhi. All seven persons on board, including two pilots, died in the accident.
Officials said the aircraft had taken off from Ranchi airport at 7.11 pm and went missing around 7.30 pm after losing contact with air traffic control roughly 20 minutes into the flight.
According to Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar, adverse weather conditions could have contributed to the crash, though the exact cause will be determined after a formal investigation.
The deceased have been identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.
Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G earlier told PTI that rescue teams recovered all the bodies from the forested crash site and shifted them to the district hospital.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the aircraft (VT-AJV) was operating a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi–Delhi route. The plane established contact with Kolkata air traffic control at 7.34 pm but subsequently lost communication and radar contact about 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi.
An investigation team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has been dispatched to the crash site to determine the cause of the accident.
(With inputs from PTI)