Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar was killed on Wednesday morning when a chartered aircraft carrying him crashed during a landing attempt at Baramati Airport in Pune district. The senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and at least three other individuals on board died in the accident.
The aircraft, which was flying from Mumbai, encountered serious difficulties during its final approach and crash-landed on the runway. Emergency services, including fire brigades, medical teams, and police, rushed to the site immediately. Visuals from the scene showed wreckage engulfed in flames with thick smoke, as rescue crews worked to extinguish the fire and attend to victims.
Details Of The Incident And Response
According to media reports, the crash occurred early on Wednesday, significantly disrupting airport operations in the region. Authorities confirmed that Pawar, a pivotal figure in Maharashtra politics and a member of the state cabinet, was on board the aircraft at the time of the accident and did not survive. The identities of the other three fatalities, believed to be passengers or crew members, have not been officially released as rescue operations continued.
Local responders managed the scene while a large-scale emergency response was mobilised. The cause of the crash is not yet known, and an investigation is expected to be initiated by the relevant aviation authorities. The incident has sent shockwaves through the political establishment in Maharashtra and at the national level.
Pawar was a senior leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and had served as the deputy chief minister of Maharashtra on multiple occasions, wielding considerable influence in the state's administration and politics. His political base was in Baramati, the town where the crash occurred, which is also the stronghold of the Pawar family. |
