A medical evacuation flight meant to save a life ended in devastation in the forests of Jharkhand, claiming seven lives, including co-pilot Captain Swarajdeep Singh of Amritsar.As a team from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) reached the crash site in Chatra district on Tuesday, scenes of grief unfolded at hospital as the bodies were handed over to relatives after post-mortem examination.The Beechcraft C90 aircraft, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd and registered as VT-AJV, had taken off from Ranchi at 19:11 IST on Monday, headed for Delhi on a critical air ambulance mission. The aircraft established contact with Kolkata air traffic control, but communication was abruptly lost around 19:34 IST. Radar signals disappeared roughly 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi.The wreckage was later found in Kasariya panchayat, deep inside a forested area with no direct road access. On Tuesday, investigators gathered statements from villagers who said the aircraft appeared to lose balance moments before crashing. Weather was also reported to be poor, with light rain, adding to the uncertainty around the cause behind the crash.Rescue teams from the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) described the operation as physically exhausting and logistically difficult. Second in Command Ramesh Kumar said the site was nearly two kilometres inside a dense forest, making access extremely challenging, especially at night. By the time teams reached, all people on board had died.With only one stretcher available, personnel carried the bodies through thick vegetation and uneven terrain for nearly two kilometres to reach the nearest road. The retrieval continued through the night under difficult conditions.Officials from the DGCA, AAIB collected evidence from the crash site and also seized documents from the airline’s office. Visuals showed cartons of records being taken from airline’s office for examination, as part of efforts to determine the cause of the crash. The officials said evidence collection would continue on Wednesday and findings would be shared after a detailed investigation.Jharkhand Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Chief Minister Hemant Soren also expressed grief over the incident and said the state government would provide all possible support to the affected families.Close shave for 7 in AndamansIn a separate incident on Tuesday morning, a helicopter operated by Pawan Hans made an emergency descent into the sea near Mayabunder in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The Dauphin N3 helicopter, flying from Port Blair with two crew members and five passengers, experienced what the company described as a short landing incident around 9:30 am. All seven people on board were rescued safely, with no injuries reported.