Seven individuals tragically lost their lives following the crash of an air ambulance in a wooded area in India. The Beechcraft C90 plane, transporting a critically injured burn patient, experienced a loss of control shortly after departing from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state, on February 23.

The aircraft was on its way to New Delhi to provide advanced medical care to the patient, who was accompanied by a doctor, a paramedic, two family members, and the pilot and co-pilot. All seven occupants perished in the incident, as reported by the Associated Press.

Authorities have sent the bodies of the deceased for postmortem examination, and a team from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has been mobilized to determine the cause of the crash. Initial suspicions point to turbulence from adverse weather conditions as a possible factor.

Eyewitnesses recounted hearing a loud explosion followed by smoke emanating from the densely forested crash site. Air ambulances are commonly utilized in India to transfer critically ill patients from smaller towns to major medical facilities.