Maharashtra: Ajit Pawar, the deputy chief minister of the western Indian state of Maharashtra, died in a plane crash on Wednesday, Indian TV channels reported.
According to media reports, Ajit Pawar’s charter plane had taken off from Mumbai and crashed in an open field near the state city of Baramati after a technical snag while attempting an emergency landing.
Videos broadcast on television showed the wreckage of the plane burning after the crash, while thick clouds of smoke were seen rising from the crash site. The wreckage of the plane was scattered over a wide area.
No official statement has been issued by the authorities yet regarding the causes of the crash, but according to initial reports, the plane caught fire after hitting the ground.
After the news of the crash came out, deep shock is being expressed in political circles in Maharashtra and across India, while security and relief agencies have cordoned off the area and started an investigation.
