Tragic Air Ambulance Crash Claims Lives of Seven in Jharkhand
A Heartbreaking Incident in Jharkhand
The cruel twists of fate can be illustrated through the tragic story of a family from Chandwa in Jharkhand's Latehar district. This family, which had pooled together every penny, borrowed from relatives, and even considered selling land to save their head of the household, faced an unimaginable loss when seven individuals, including three family members, perished in a plane crash.
What was once a home filled with prayers for survival has now turned into a place of mourning. Sanjay, a small hotel owner in Chandwa, never anticipated that the ₹8 lakh borrowed to save his life would ultimately be needed for his funeral expenses.
Desperate Measures for Survival
Archana, Sanjay's wife, risked everything, including their future savings, in a desperate attempt to save her husband. However, fate had other plans. The air ambulance, which they believed would be their lifeline, tragically became the vehicle of their demise, engulfing an entire family in the flames of Chhatra's dense forests. Now, there is no one left to repay the debts, nor is there hope for the future that a poor man had vowed to secure by selling his land.
Family's Struggle and Loss
Ajay, the deceased's brother, shared with a media outlet how the family had contemplated selling their property and land to fund Sanjay's treatment. They borrowed money from friends and well-wishers to cover the expenses of his treatment at a private hospital in Delhi, including the air ambulance fare. Friends and relatives gathered at the family home in Latehar to offer their condolences.
Sanjay suffered severe burns from a fire caused by an electrical short circuit at his modest hotel last Monday. As the sole breadwinner, he was critically injured during the incident. With local treatment options exhausted, the family decided to transfer him to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi for better care. Along with Sanjay, his wife Archana and relative Dhruv boarded the ill-fated air ambulance.
The Fatal Flight
On Monday, the air ambulance departed from Ranchi carrying Sanjay, his wife Archana, relative Dhruv, medical staff, and crew members. Tragically, shortly after takeoff, the aircraft crashed in Chhatra district, claiming the lives of all seven individuals on board.
The deceased have been identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, the pilot-in-command, and Captain Sarajdeep Singh, the co-pilot. The passengers included patient Sanjay Kumar (41), attendant Archana Devi, Dhruv Kumar, Dr. Vikas Kumar Gupta, and paramedic Sachin Kumar Mishra.
Community Grieves
VIDEO | Jharkhand air ambulance crash: A relative of one of the victims, says, "Sanjay Prasad had suffered severe burns. He was admitted to a hospital. There was no improvement in his condition during treatment, so we wanted to shift him to Delhi. In that process, we arranged a… pic.twitter.com/v22xhSR6KC
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) February 24, 2026
#WATCH | Air Ambulance crash in Jharkhand | Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari visits Sadar Hospital Chatra, where the bodies of the deceased in the air ambulance crash in Chatra late last night are kept.
— Media House (@MediaChannel) February 24, 2026
A total of 7 people lost their lives in the air crash. pic.twitter.com/MGrqcEN2PC