MAHARASHTRA DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER, FOUR OTHERS KILLED IN CHARTER PLANE CRASH

India’s Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra State, Ajit Pawar, has died following the crash of a chartered aircraft in western India, aviation authorities confirmed on Wednesday.

Pawar was among five people on board a Learjet 45 aircraft operated by VSR Ventures that went down while approaching Baramati, a town in Maharashtra regarded as the politician’s political stronghold.

All occupants of the aircraft including two members of Pawar’s staff and two crew members were killed in the incident, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).

In a preliminary statement, the aviation regulator said there were no survivors. Video footage from the scene showed burning wreckage scattered across an open field, with thick smoke rising into the air as emergency responders arrived.

The director of VSR Ventures, VK Singh, told local broadcaster India Today that the jet crashed during its final approach to Baramati airport.

He said the cause of the crash was not immediately known, adding that the aircraft was well-maintained and the crew were experienced.

Eyewitnesses described a series of explosions following the crash. One witness told ANI news agency that the aircraft was engulfed in flames moments after impact, making rescue efforts impossible.

Media reports said Pawar was travelling from Mumbai and was attempting an emergency landing in Baramati, about 250 kilometres away, where he was scheduled to campaign for upcoming local government elections.

A prominent political figure from one of Maharashtra’s most influential families, Pawar led a faction that split from the opposition Nationalist Congress Party in 2023 and later aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state.

Prime Minister Modi, reacting to the incident, described Pawar’s death as “shocking and saddening” in a post on social media platform X, offering condolences to the bereaved families.

Investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing.