7 killed in air ambulance crash in India’s Jharkhand state

Published
Police and security personnel work at the site where the Beechcraft air ambulance crashed, killing all seven people on board, in Chatra, Jharkhand, India on February 24, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a video. — Reuters
Police and security personnel work at the site where the Beechcraft air ambulance crashed, killing all seven people on board, in Chatra, Jharkhand, India on February 24, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a video. — Reuters
Police and security personnel work at the site where the Beechcraft air ambulance crashed, killing all seven people on board, in Chatra, Jharkhand, India on February 24, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a video. — Reuters
Police and security personnel work at the site where the Beechcraft air ambulance crashed, killing all seven people on board, in Chatra, Jharkhand, India on February 24, 2026, in this screengrab taken from a video. — Reuters

All seven people on board a Beechcraft air ambulance that crashed in the Indian state of Jharkhand on Monday were killed, officials said on Tuesday, including two crew members, the patient and his relatives.

The Beechcraft C90 plane, operated by Redbird Airways, took off from state capital Ranchi but requested a change to its flight path due to weather, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on Monday.

The aircraft subsequently lost communication and radar contact, the regulator said.

Rescue and medical teams rushed to the site of the crash, which local media said was deep inside a difficult-to-access forest.

“The team of doctors found them, and declared them dead,” local administrative official Keerthishree G told reporters, adding that two of the seven people killed were crew members.

“We have pulled out the bodies and sent them for post-mortem and further investigation,” the official said.

Keerthishree G is the deputy commissioner of Chatra district, where the crash occurred during a thunderstorm.

A team from India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been dispatched to investigate the cause, the regulator said.

Most air crashes are due to a combination of factors and can take at least a year to investigate, according to industry experts.

Relatives of the patient, Sanjay Kumar, told reporters he was injured in a fire and was initially undergoing treatment in Ranchi.

“His condition had become worse so we were taking him to Delhi by air ambulance,” said Vijay Sau, his older brother.

Last month, a Learjet 45 charter aircraft crashed killing all five people on board, including the deputy chief minister of India’s wealthiest state of Maharashtra and two members of his staff.


Additional input by AFP

Opinion

Editorial

Unmasking stability
Updated 20 Jul, 2026

Unmasking stability

THREE reports last Friday — a widening food trade gap, return to a current account deficit, and the government’s...
Flood data gap
20 Jul, 2026

Flood data gap

HAVING endured one of its worst floods last year — triggered by intense monsoons and compounded by sudden water...
Zero-dose alert
20 Jul, 2026

Zero-dose alert

ALTHOUGH Pakistan recently announced its first National Vaccine Policy, it will take time before the immunity gap ...
Gulf escalation
Updated 19 Jul, 2026

Gulf escalation

The threat of the war restarting and the conflict expanding is very real.
Looming monsoon
19 Jul, 2026

Looming monsoon

THE monsoon season is here. The Pakistan Meteorological Department has issued a nationwide alert for widespread,...
Closing one file
19 Jul, 2026

Closing one file

ABDUL Rashid Wani was stopped by Indian soldiers near his home in Srinagar in July 1997. He never returned. Nearly...