An air ambulance of Gurgaon-based Medanta Hospital caught fire killing a pilot and four others which include two doctors and a nurse. The flight not only caught fire but also had a crash landing near Nakhon Pathom airport, about 730 km from Bangkok, Thailand.
The air ambulance, a chartered single-engine aircraft, took off from New Delhi and landed in Kolkata for refueling, hospital sources said. The aircraft, en route from Kolkata, then made an emergency landing at Kamphaeng Saen airport in Nakhon Pathom on Sunday night.
As reports suggest, the ambulance was going to pick up a patient admitted in a Bangkok hospital. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted Monday, “The Air Ambulance of Medanta Hospital with five member crew caught fire and crash-landed near Bangkok. The injured were shifted to Bangkok Hospital by Army helicopters.”
“Our Mission has just informed me that we have lost the pilot of the air ambulance, Arunaksha Nandy. Dr. Shailendra and Dr. Komal are in the ICU. The other two have sustained minor injuries,” she said. “Our Mission is extending them all help and assistance.” She also expressed “heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family”.
