delhi, india
Reuters
—
Ajit Pawar, deputy chief minister of India’s richest state, Maharashtra, died on Wednesday along with four other passengers when his chartered plane burst into flames, aviation regulators said.
Media reports said Pawar, who comes from a prominent political family, was on his way to his hometown to take part in local body elections.
Two of his staff and two crew members were also on board the Learjet 45, operated by VSR Ventures, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.
The initial statement added: “There are no survivors on board.”
VSR Ventures director VK Singh told broadcaster India Today that the plane crashed while approaching Baramati city, but the cause was not clear.
“The aircraft is 100% safe,” he said. “The crew was pretty experienced.”
Video images showed smoke billowing from parts of the burning plane wreckage and scattering across a field.
“At first there was flames, then there were four or five more explosions,” an anonymous eyewitness who witnessed the plane crash and explosion told news agency ANI. But the flames were so intense that no one could be rescued, he added.
Pawar supported Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in the state government, leading a faction that split from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party in 2023.
In a post on X, Prime Minister Modi said Pawar’s death was “shocking and sad”.
Media reports said Pawar’s plane, which had departed from the financial capital of Mumbai, attempted to make an emergency landing in Baramati, his family’s stronghold, 250 kilometers (150 miles) away, where he was scheduled to campaign.
Reuters holds a minority stake in ANI.
