Ranchi, Feb 24 (NationPress) Tragically, all seven individuals aboard an air ambulance that met with a fatal crash in Jharkhand's Chatra district have been confirmed deceased by officials on Tuesday.

The medical charter flight was traveling from Ranchi to Delhi when it crashed in the Kasaria Panchayat area of Chatra District on Monday evening. Among the deceased were two crew members.

The victims have been identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Sanjay Kumar, Archana Devi, and Dhuru Kumar.

This unfortunate incident involved a Beechcraft King Air (BE9L) operated by Redbird Airways, a Delhi-based medical airline.

Relatives of one of the victims shared that Sanjay, hailing from Chandwa in Latehar district, had endured severe burn injuries and was being transferred to Delhi for advanced medical care.

With approximately 65 percent of his body burned, his family opted for the air ambulance after local doctors indicated that treatment in Latehar was inadequate. Sanjay's wife and cousin were also on the ill-fated flight, both tragically losing their lives.

Sanjay's elder brother, Vijay, remarked, "His condition had deteriorated significantly, which is why we arranged for the air ambulance to take him to Delhi for treatment. His wife and our cousin were accompanying him."

An uncle of Sanjay recounted the events, stating, "My nephew was injured in a fire and admitted to a Ranchi hospital. His health failed to improve, so we organized an air ambulance to transfer him to Delhi. We booked the flight around 7 p.m. and then Sanjay, his wife, and cousin boarded. We are still in shock regarding this tragedy."

Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta was also among the passengers. His uncle, Bajrangi Prasad, expressed profound sorrow over the loss.

"He had completed his MBBS and was assisting his father. He would say, 'Uncle, it's time to take a break.' Now he is gone, and we are left without guidance. We demand justice from the government," he stated.

Pankaj Kumar, Superintendent of Sadar Hospital, informed IANS, "Upon receiving word of the air ambulance crash, we proceeded to the location. Upon arrival, all individuals on board were found deceased. We are currently working to identify the victims."

Eyewitnesses recounted hearing a loud explosion at the moment of the crash.

"We were at home when we suddenly heard a loud explosive sound, which made us think a plane had crashed. When we hurried to the site, we discovered the aircraft wreckage, and it appeared that all seven aboard had perished," a local resident reported.

Another witness added, "Upon hearing the explosion, we exited our homes, but saw nothing initially. We then ventured into the forest to investigate. Eventually, we found the air ambulance wreckage and contacted the authorities."

Flight records indicate that the aircraft took off from Ranchi at 7:07 p.m. and was airborne by 7:11 p.m. After establishing communication with Kolkata Air Traffic Control, it lost contact around 7:34 p.m., approximately 100 nautical miles southeast of Varanasi.

The loss of communication reportedly occurred near Palamu in northwestern Jharkhand, with the flight scheduled to land in Delhi by 10 p.m.

Authorities have initiated an investigation into the crash's cause, while further information is awaited.