An air ambulance carrying seven people crashed in Chatra district on Sunday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
According to the passenger manifest, the aircraft was carrying two pilots, a patient, two attendants, a doctor and a paramedic.
AIR MISHAP ⚠️
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Air ambulance traveling from Ranchi, Jharkhand, to Delhi crashed in Simaria, Chatra district.
Seven people including two pilots and a patient were on board.
No clarity yet on survivors.pic.twitter.com/1AIxPpxJyu
The aircraft, a Beechcraft C90 operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, had taken off from Ranchi at 7.11 pm.
In a statement, the DGCA said the aircraft lost communication and radar contact after establishing contact with Kolkata air traffic control.
“After establishing contact with Kolkata, at 19:34 IST the aircraft lost communication and radar contact at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi,” the regulator said.
The Beechcraft C90 was registered under tail number VT-AJV.
The DGCA said district administration-led search and rescue teams have reached the crash site.
An investigation team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) is being dispatched to conduct a detailed probe into the incident.
“Further information will be shared,” the DGCA said.
Details on casualties and the cause of the crash were not immediately available.