India: Seven killed in air ambulance plane crash

DW News · Feb 24, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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Seven people were killed when a chartered air ambulance crashed late Monday night in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand, officials said. Rescue and medical teams rushed to the crash site, which was located deep in a forest. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation said the Beechcraft C90 airplane operated by Redbird Airways had "requested for deviation due to weather," while flying from Ranchi to Delhi. The aircraft lost contact with air traffic control 23 minutes after taking off at 7:11 p.m. local time (13:41 GMT) and crashed in the Kasaria region of the state. Local media cited eyewitnesses saying they heard a loud bang before seeing smoke rise from a heavily forested area. Images from the scene showed the crumpled airplane covered in leaves and debris from the crash while rescue officials roamed the site. "There were seven persons on board including two crew members," the DGCA said in a post on social media. "The team of doctors found them, and declared them dead," local administrative official Keerthishree G told reporters. State officials suspect the aircraft lost control due to turbulance. India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau was also sent to the site. Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko