Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar and four other persons were killed after an aircraft carrying them crashed in Pune district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
The incident occurred when the plane carrying NCP leader Pawar (66) and others was attempting to land in Pune’s Baramati airport, they said.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said five people have been confirmed dead in the crash.
Visuals from the crash site showed wreckage scattered across the area, with flames and thick smoke billowing from the aircraft. Emergency response teams were rushed to the spot.
Pawar was travelling in a privately operated chartered plane, which had four other passengers on board.
Pawar, 66, had attended a Cabinet meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday and was travelling to Baramati for a series of meetings linked to the upcoming local body elections in Pune, including the Zilla Parishad polls scheduled for February 5.
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Officials have not yet confirmed the cause of the crash or released further details on the sequence of events leading up to the accident.
