Shuttle bus catches fire at Delhi airport, no casualty
New Delhi (PTI): A shuttle bus parked at Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
No casualty has been reported as the Air India ground handling company's bus was vacant at the time of the incident, they said.
Visuals of the incident showed that the rear end of the AISATS bus, parked in the vicinity of an Air India aircraft, engulfed in flames.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (IGI) Vichitra Veer, in a statement, said the bus was not carrying any passengers or luggage at the time of the incident.
The fire was extinguished within a couple of minutes. The bus was stationary and fully vacant at the time of the incident, Delhi airport operator DIAL said.
AISATS is the ground handling arm of Tata Group-owned Air India. It is a joint venture between Air India and SATS Group.
The incident was reported at 1 pm to the IGI Airport Police Station, following which fire tenders, local police, and personnel from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) rushed to the spot, the police official said.
"Only the driver was present when the fire broke out. The blaze was promptly brought under control by fire officials. No injuries or casualties have been reported," DCP Veer said.
The vehicle, used for ferrying passengers on the airport premises, sustained damage in the incident, according to the police.
In a statement, AISATS said an investigation is currently underway to determine the cause of the fire, and they is fully cooperating with the relevant authorities.
The area where the fire happened was briefly cordoned off as a precautionary measure and a detailed examination of the bus is being carried out to ascertain the cause of the fire.
Further investigation is underway.
The DIAL (Delhi International Airport Ltd), in a post on X, said "In a stray incident, a bus operated by one of the Ground handlers caught fire around noon today. Our expert ARFF team on ground immediately swung into action and extinguished the fire within a couple of minutes."
"There were no injuries/casualties. All operations continue to be normal. Safety of our passengers and staff remains paramount to us," it added.
AISATS, in the statement, said an unfortunate fire incident involving one of the coaches was reported at the Delhi airport.
The vehicle was unoccupied at the time, and no casualties were reported, it added.
A coach operated by AI SATS caught fire this morning at T3 bay no 32. It is learnt there were no passengers onboard.
— Jagriti Chandra (@jagritichandra) October 28, 2025
AI SATS is a third party provider is ground handling services to multiple airlines, including Air India. More info awaited pic.twitter.com/lMQEtYPewV
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J’khand: All 7 on board air ambulance killed in crash, bodies brought to hospital for post-mortem
Ranchi (PTI): All seven persons on board an air ambulance were killed after the aircraft crashed near Simaria in Jharkhand’s Chatra district, and their bodies have been brought to a hospital for post-mortem examination, officials said on Tuesday.
The Beechcraft C90 air ambulance, operated by Redbird Airways Pvt Ltd, was en route to Delhi from Ranchi when it crashed on Monday evening in the Bariatu Panchayat area of Simaria, located deep inside a forest, killing all seven onboard, including two pilots.
"We have brought all the seven bodies for post-mortem at Sadar Hospital, Chatra. The crash is being investigated," an official told PTI.
ALSO READ: Air ambulance with 7 onboard to Delhi from Ranchi crashes in Jharkhand's Chatra
The aircraft took off from Ranchi airport at 7.11 pm and went missing around 7.30 pm. It lost contact with the air traffic control about 20 minutes after departure, he said.
Ranchi airport director Vinod Kumar said inclement weather could be a possible reason behind the crash, though the exact cause would be ascertained after a detailed probe.
Jharkhand Health Minister Irfan Ansari said the state government will conduct a probe into how permission was given to the aircraft to fly during “inclement weather”. He also said proper compensation would be given to the kin of the deceased.
Terming the crash extremely unfortunate, Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth said unpleasant weather could be one of the reasons, which will be determined by the probe.
In a post on X, former chief minister and BJP leader Champai Soren said he was deeply saddened.
The deceased have been identified as Captain Vivek Vikas Bhagat, Captain Savrajdeep Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, Sachin Kumar Mishra, Archana Devi and Dhuru Kumar.
Meanwhile, a lingering sense of grief prevailed in Chatra district, as the near and dear ones of those killed in the crash expressed shock and disbelief.
Bajrangi Prasad, the father of deceased Dr Vikas Kumar Gupta, said he had sold all his land to make his son a doctor, who was posted at Sadar Hospital in Ranchi.
"He has a seven-year-old son... He was meritorious and had completed his MBBS from Odisha’s Cuttack," Prasad, who hails from Bihar’s Aurangabad district, said.
Family members of Sanjay Kumar (41), however, blamed the “poor” health infrastructure behind the tragedy.
"Had we given proper treatment to my brother-in-law Sanjay in Ranchi, precious lives could have been saved. I lost both both Sanjay and sister Archana Devi in the incident," Kumar said.
Chatra Deputy Commissioner Keerthishree G had earlier told PTI that the bodies of all seven deceased were retrieved from the crash site and shifted to Chatra hospital for post-mortem examination.
In a statement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said the Beechcraft C90 aircraft (VT-AJV) was operating a medical evacuation flight on the Ranchi-Delhi sector when it crashed in Kasaria Panchayat of Chatra district.
“The aircraft was airborne from Ranchi at 19:11 IST. After establishing contact with Kolkata at 19:34 IST, the aircraft lost communication and radar contact with Kolkata at approximately 100 nautical miles south-east of Varanasi,” it said, adding that there were seven people on board, including two crew members.
An Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) team has been dispatched to the crash site.
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, 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.
The family members decided to take him to Delhi for better treatment, Sinha said.
"They arranged for an air ambulance on Monday. The patient left the hospital for Delhi around 4.30 pm," he said.
