Newdelhi: All seven people on board an air ambulance were killed when the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening. The flight was en route from Ranchi to Delhi when the accident occurred, a top state government official said.
“All seven on board the air ambulance were killed in the crash. The plane was on the way to Delhi from Ranchi,” Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G told news agency PTI.
The aircraft, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, took off from Ranchi airport at 7:11 pm. According to Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G, the plane went missing around 7:30 pm and later crashed in the Bariatu Panchayat area of Simaria, a densely forested region.
According to Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, the air ambulance had been arranged for Sanjay Kumar (41), a resident of Latehar district. He had been admitted on February 16 with 65% burn injuries and was under treatment at the hospital.
A family member of the patient said they had chosen an air ambulance because his condition was too serious for a road journey. Vijay Kumar, a relative, said that the doctor had warned them that the patient might not survive a trip by road.
“We tried to take him (the patient) by road, but the doctor said we couldn’t. He told us the patient might collapse on the way,” Vijay Kumar told reporters. “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.”
