Daijiworld Media Network - Ranchi
Ranchi, Feb 24: In a tragic incident, all seven persons on board an air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening.
The flight, which had taken off from Ranchi at 7.11 pm, was en route to Delhi when it reportedly went missing around 7.30 pm and later crashed in the Bariatu Panchayat area of Simaria, a densely forested region.
Confirming the fatalities, Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G told PTI, “All seven on board the air ambulance were killed in the crash. The plane was on the way to Delhi from Ranchi.”
The aircraft was operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd.
Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Shubham Khandelwal stated that all seven bodies had been recovered from the crash site.
The deceased have been identified as:
• Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat
• Captain Savrajdeep Singh
• Sanjay Kumar
• Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta
• Sachin Kumar Mishra
• Archana Devi
• Dhuru Kumar
Authorities have initiated further investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the crash. Senior officials from the district administration and police rushed to the spot soon after receiving information about the incident.
According to Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, the air ambulance had been arranged for 41-year-old Sanjay Kumar, a resident of Latehar district. He had been admitted to the hospital on February 16 with 65 per cent burn injuries and was undergoing treatment.
Family members said they opted for an air ambulance as his condition was too critical for transportation by road. Vijay Kumar, a relative of the patient, said doctors had warned that the patient might not survive a road journey.
“We tried to take him by road, but the doctor said we couldn’t. He told us the patient might collapse on the way. The doctor said that if we could arrange an air ambulance, then we could take him. So we decided to take him by air ambulance,” Vijay Kumar told reporters.
The incident has sent shockwaves across the region, with state authorities expressing grief over the loss of lives. Further details are awaited.