A doctor was among seven people killed in a tragic plane crash in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday night. The chartered aircraft, operating as an air ambulance, was carrying a 41-year-old patient, Sanjay Kumar. Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta was part of the medical team accompanying him on the flight.
Soon after take-off from Birsa Munda Airport in Ranchi, the Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, bound for Delhi, lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata, according to a statement issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
All seven people on board were killed. The doctor’s grieving father broke down while speaking to the media. “My son was a doctor. He told me he was going to Delhi with patients, but later I learned the aircraft had crashed and my son is no more. I sold my farmland to educate him,” he told news agency Press Trust of India.
Dr Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital and Research Centre in Ranchi, also expressed grief over the loss while speaking to ANI. “Unfortunately, we received news that the plane had crashed… Dr Vikas Gupta was very close to us, and sadly, he also lost his life,” he said.
Sinha added that the patient, Sanjay Kumar, had been undergoing treatment in the ICU with nearly 60% burn injuries. “We kept him in the ICU. Some relatives suggested taking him abroad for better treatment. They arranged for an air ambulance after discussions,” he said.
The other victims were identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.
There has been no official confirmation on the cause of the crash so far, though initial reports suggest that inclement weather and thunderstorms may have played a role.
The air ambulance, operated by Delhi-based Redbird Airways with tail number VT-AJV, reportedly lost radar contact around 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi before crashing in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Simaria. (Agency)
