Chatra (Jharkhand), Mar 16: The second engine of an air ambulance that crashed in Chatra district of Jharkhand last month, killing seven people, was recovered from a forest area near the crash site after 21 days, officials said on Sunday.
The engine was found in a forest near Kanshiatu village under the limits of Simaria police station, about one kilometre from where the aircraft went down in the Patharpania forest area on February 23.
According to officials, the engine was spotted by local villagers, particularly women who had gone into the forest to collect firewood and mahua flowers.
“Some local women had gone to the forest to collect mahua and they found the engine there,” Keerthishree G, Deputy Commissioner of Chatra, said.
Police teams later reached the spot and secured the recovered aircraft part. Officials said the engine had been missing since the crash and its recovery is expected to help investigators determine the cause of the accident.
“This is a major development that could help the investigation team determine the exact reason behind the plane crash,” Surya Pratap, Sub-Inspector of Simaria police station, said.
He added that the search for the missing engine had been underway since the day of the incident and villagers had been requested to assist authorities.
“We requested the villagers to support us in finding the engine which we were searching for since the day the incident occurred,” he said.
Teams from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau and forensic experts are currently inspecting the recovered parts. The authorities have also informed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation about the development.
The air ambulance, which was flying from Ranchi to New Delhi, crashed on the evening of February 23 in the Patharpania forest area near Kanshiatu village. All seven people on board — including two pilots, a doctor, a paramedic, a burn injury patient and two attendants — were killed in the accident.
Officials said the recovered engine will now be examined by investigators as part of the ongoing probe into the crash.
