All seven people on board the aircraft lost their lives after it crashed just minutes after take-off

06:48, Tue, Feb 24, 2026 Updated: 06:50, Tue, Feb 24, 2026

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Seven people have died in an air ambulance crash in India.

The Beechcraft C90 aircraft lost control minutes after taking off from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state, on Monday, February 23. It was carrying a critically ill burn patient to New Delhi, India to receive advanced medical treatment.

The patient was accompanied by a doctor, a paramedic and two family members. The pilot and co-pilot were the two others involved in the fatal crash

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The Associated Press reported that all seven people on board lost their lives.

Postmortems will be performed on the deceased and a team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is being dispatched to investigate the cause of the accident.

Officials suspect the aircraft lost control after passing through turbulence caused by bad weather.

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Eyewitnesses told local media they heard a loud explosion and saw smoke rise from a heavily forested area.

Air ambulances are frequently used in India to transport critically ill patients from smaller cities to major medical centres.