Deputy state leader Ajit Pawar among five dead in fiery plane crash in western India
Ajit Pawar dead: Deputy chief minister of India’s Maharashtra state killed in plane crash
- Ajit Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra, India, and four other individuals died in a private plane crash on Wednesday morning.
- The chartered Learjet 45 crashed around 9 am local time in Baramati town during an emergency landing attempt, approximately an hour after taking off from Mumbai.
- The five victims included Pawar, two pilots, and two other passengers, one of whom was his personal security officer.
- Pawar, a prominent and veteran figure in Indian politics, was travelling to Baramati, his political stronghold, to attend a public meeting amidst ongoing local elections.
- The cause of the crash is currently unknown, and an investigation has been launched, with tributes offered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other political leaders.