Air ambulance of Gurgaon-based Medanta hospital crashed near Bangkok. (Representational)
Highlights
- Medanta hospitals' Thailand-bound air ambulance had five crew members
- Two doctors under intensive care, two suffered minor injuries
- Indian mission helping out, tweets Sushma Swaraj
An air ambulance of the Medanta hospital crash landed near Bangkok after it caught fire today. The pilot died and four others -- including two doctors and a nurse -- were injured. Calling the incident "unfortunate", Medanta hospital chairman and managing director Naresh Trehan said the air ambulance had gone to Bangkok to bring a patient suffering from lung problem.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted saying the injured have been shifted to Bangkok hospital by army helicopters.
In a series of tweets, Ms Swaraj said:
The plane had taken off for Bangkok yesterday from New Delhi. In the afternoon, it stopped midway in Kolkata to refuel and later, crash landed at Nakhon Pathom airport.
One of the doctors was from the hospital's Department of Anaesthesia while the other from the Department of Critical Care. Both have suffered burn injuries. "We are getting to know that the injuries are not life-threatening," news agency Press Trust of India quoted Dr Trehan as saying. A team of doctors from Medanta have already left for Bangkok, he said, and the families of the injured doctors will also join them soon.
"I may travel to Bangkok tomorrow. The Ministry of External Affairs is also helping a lot," Dr Trehan added.
(With inputs from PTI)