An air ambulance crashed into a dense forest in eastern India, killing all seven people on board, authorities said.
The Beechcraft C90 aircraft operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd lost control minutes after taking off from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state, on Monday, the country’s aviation watchdog said in a statement.
The plane was carrying a critically ill burn patient to New Delhi for advanced medical treatment. He was accompanied by a doctor, a paramedic and two family members. The other two people on board were the pilot and co-pilot.
“All seven persons on board the air ambulance are dead and their bodies sent for postmortem,” senior local official Keerthishree G. said from the accident site yesterday.
State officials suspect the aircraft lost control after passing through turbulence caused by bad weather.
A team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is being dispatched to investigate the cause of the accident, according to a statement from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.
Local media cited eyewitnesses as saying they heard a loud explosion before seeing smoke rise from a heavily forested area, prompting local authorities to rush to the scene.
The crash adds to concerns over aviation safety during adverse weather conditions, especially in regions with challenging terrain.
It comes weeks after a private plane carrying a senior state official crashed in western India, killing all five people on board. — AP
