RANCHI, March 15 -- Twenty-one days after the tragic air ambulance crash in Jharkhand's Chatra district, a major breakthrough was achieved on Sunday when local villagers discovered the aircraft's engine deep within the Kasiyatu-Karamtand forest.

The discovery, made nearly a kilometre away from the primary wreckage site, is expected to provide critical technical evidence for the ongoing investigation into the February 23 disaster.

Confirming the recovery, Chatra Superintendent of Police (SP) Sumit Kumar Agrawal stated that the engine was located by locals who had entered the forest to gather Mahua flowers.

"The villagers searched the engine and it has been preserved. We have secured the area and informed the relevant aviation investigat...