Did private plane crash in Chhattisgarh hillside? What state govt said

Amid reports of a private plane crashing in Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district, the state government has reacted to the crash, saying that it had received "no reports of such an accident".

The ANI report, which quoted the state government, came after earlier reports claimed that a chartered private plane on Monday had crashed into the Ara Hills near Chhattisgarh's Jashpur district, resulting in an explosion.

The accident—which allegedly took place because the jet hit a tree when it had been flying over the Ratanpalli forest in Narayanpur, close to the hills—has likely killed the pilot and co-pilot, among others, locals had said.

Visuals from the scene show thick plumes of smoke billowing from the hills after the alleged crash of the plane, which locals claimed had been flying low—about 30 feet off the ground.

Police teams, which included the Jashpur Superintendent of Police, and disaster relief forces, were rushed to the spot soon after the accident, but details about the exact number of casualties and the number of passengers in the plane remain unclear so far.

The Collector was also rushed to the spot, but neither has any debris from the crash had been found yet.

In that regard, rescue operations in the area were allegedly expected to be a bit difficult, due to the hilly terrain.

"The news of the chartered plane crash on the hills of Jashpur is extremely heartbreaking and alarming. This is not just an incident; it is a situation tied to the hopes and emotions of many families," Congress leader Amarjeet Bhagat had written in an X post.