Chatra (Jharkhand) [India], February 24 : A tragic air ambulance crash in Jharkhand's Chatra district on Monday claimed the lives of all seven people onboard, including two crew members. The Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft was operating a medical evacuation flight from Ranchi to Delhi when it crashed in Kasariya Panchayat, Simariya block, at approximately 7:30 pm.
Speaking to ANI on Monday, Dr Vikash Kumar Gupta, father of one of the deceased, said, "My elder son was posted in the Sadar Hospital, Ranchi. If there had been proper health facilities here, why would they have gone to Delhi for treatment?"
Meanwhile, confirming the fatalities, SP Sumit Kumar Agarwal said, "We got information around 10 that an accident has happened. Getting here was difficult considering the terrain.
In addition, Agarwal said, "The Delhi team will come here for the investigation and try to recover the black box. Total number of deaths is seven."
Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G added that bad weather might have caused the crash. "It crashed due to a thunderstorm. Unfortunately, the team of doctors found them dead. The total number of people is seven. Two were crew members, and the remaining five were a patient and the patient's family members," she said.
She further stated, "Prima facie, the accident appears to have been caused by bad weather, but the exact cause will be determined after a detailed investigation by the aviation authorities."
Officials said that the aircraft had taken off from Ranchi at 19:11 IST and lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi.
Following this, a team from Delhi is expected to arrive at the crash site later in the day to conduct a probe and retrieve the black box.
Further investigation into the incident is underway.