Sri Vijaya Puram, Feb 24: A Pawan Hans helicopter carrying seven people, including the crew members, crashed into the sea after it took off from Mayabunder in North and Middle Andaman district on Tuesday morning, and all of them were rescued, officials said.

The accident occurred around 9.30 am, they said.

All the passengers and the crew members, rescued from mid-sea, have been admitted to a hospital, one of the officials said.

“The helicopter took off from Sri Vijaya Puram around 8.45 am, and it crashed into the sea around 9.30 am. A preliminary inquiry revealed that there was some technical snag, and the pilot made a crash-landing on the sea,” a senior Civil Aviation official said.

An inquiry has been initiated, he said.

Officials of Pawan Hans, a central public sector undertaking based in Noida, could not be contacted for comments.

Civil Aviation Director Nitesh Rawat said, “A total of seven people were onboard, including the pilot. All are safe, and we are yet to take the statement of the pilot. All injured persons are under treatment at Dr Rajendra Prasad Hospital in Mayabunder. We are trying to bring the injured people to Sri Vijaya Puram.”

New Delhi, Feb 24: A Leh-bound SpiceJet aircraft returned to the national capital due to an engine issue on Tuesday morning, according to a source.

There were around 150 people on board the Boeing 737 aircraft that was operating the flight SG121, the source added.

When contacted, a SpiceJet spokesperson said a flight operating from Delhi to Leh on Tuesday returned to Delhi after experiencing a technical issue.

“The aircraft landed safely in Delhi, and all passengers were disembarked normally,” the spokesperson said in a statement.

The source said the aircraft suffered an engine issue.

According to the spokesperson, there was no fire warning in the cockpit.

Meerut, Feb 24: Six people, including five children, were killed and a woman was injured after a fire, suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit, broke out at a house in the Lisadi Gate area here, police said on Tuesday.

“The incident occurred at Kidwai Nagar around 8 pm on Monday. Seven people were admitted to the civil hospital with burn injuries. The doctors later declared six of them dead,” Meerut SP Avinash Pandey told reporters at the hospital.

Information about the blaze at the residence of Iqbal Ahmad was received at 8:49 pm, following which police and fire brigade teams rushed to the spot and brought the flames under control, the officer said.

According to police, tailoring work was done at the house, for which a large quantity of cloth was stored there, which caused the flames to spread rapidly.

Prima facie, a short circuit is suspected to have triggered the fire, police said, adding that a detailed probe is underway.

The deceased have been identified as Rukhsar (25), Mahbish (12), Hammad (4), Akdas (4), Nabia (4 months) and Inayat (4 months), all residents of Gali No. 3 near the Surahi Wali Masjid in Kidwai Nagar, police said.

The injured woman, Ameer Bano (55), is undergoing treatment, the SP said.

Ranchi, Feb 23: An air ambulance with seven people onboard crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district on Monday evening while en route to Delhi from Ranchi, an airport official said.

There was no immediate confirmation of casualties.

The crash occurred after the aircraft took off from Ranchi airport around 7.10 pm, he added.

“An air ambulance from Ranchi with seven people onboard crashed near Simaria in Chatra district.

The plane lost contact with air traffic control around 20 minutes after take-off,” Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar told PTI.

Inclement weather could be a reason behind the crash, but the actual cause will be ascertained only after a probe, he added.

The DGCA in a statement said, “On 23.02.2026 Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd Beechcraft C90 aircraft VT-AJV operating medical evacuation (Air Ambulance) flight on sector Ranchi-Delhi crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district, in Jharkhand. There were seven people on board, including two crew members.”

“The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 19:34 IST, aircraft lost communication and RADAR contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 NM South-East of Varanasi,” it added.

The district administration’s search and rescue team has reached the location, and an Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team is being dispatched, the statement said.

Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G told PTI, “The aircraft went missing around 7.30 pm. It crashed at Bariatu Panchayat in Simaria.”

She said she could not confirm casualties as the crash site is deep inside a forest.

“A team has been sent. We can confirm when the team reaches there,” she added.

Chatra SP Sumit Kumar Agarwal told PTI, “The crash site is deep in the forest. Police teams are yet to reach the spot, so we are not in a position to confirm the number of casualties.”

According to the DGCA website, Delhi-based non-scheduled operator Redbird has six aircraft in its fleet, including the one that crashed.

Anant Sinha, CEO of Devkamal Hospital in Ranchi, told PTI that the air ambulance was arranged by one of their patients.

“The patient, Sanjay Kumar (41), a resident of Chandwa in Latehar district, was brought to the hospital with 65 per cent burn injuries on February 16. He was being treated in the hospital,” he said.

He added the family members decided to take him to Delhi for better treatment.

“They arranged an air ambulance on Monday. The patient left the hospital for Delhi around 4.30 pm,” he said.

Former Chief Minister and BJP leader Champai Soren in a post on X said he was deeply saddened by the news of the air ambulance crash at Simaria.

“I pray for the safe recovery of all 7 individuals, including the crew members aboard the plane from Marang Buru (the supreme tribal deity), and for strength to their families during this difficult time,” he posted.