28 January,2026 02:49 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Ajit Pawar (66) and four others were killed after the aircraft crash-landed at Baramati airport around 8.50 am. PIC/ SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
An aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar appeared "unstable in the air" before crashing and exploding near Baramati in Pune district on Wednesday morning, an eyewitness said.
Another witness claimed that the aircraft burst into flames immediately after hitting the ground, triggering four to five successive explosions.
Pawar (66) and four others were killed after the aircraft crash-landed at Baramati airport around 8.50 am, officials said.
A local said she noticed the aircraft circling the airport earlier in the morning before the crash.
"It took a round in the air, appeared a bit unstable and as it was approaching the runway to land, it hit the ground hard and exploded. There was a loud sound and could be heard at our home," the woman told a news channel.
She said that several parts of the aircraft were hurled into the air after the explosion and fell near her house.
"The plane tilted before coming down. We saw the explosion and it was frightening," the eyewitness recounted.
Another eyewitness said the aircraft appeared to be losing control as it descended.
"The way the plane was coming down, we felt it was going to crash. It was around 100 feet above the runway. As we rushed towards it, we saw flames, followed by four to five consecutive blasts, which prevented us from going anywhere near the aircraft," he told PTI.
"It was a major fire. We later learned that Pawar was on the aircraft. It was shocking for us," he added.
Another eyewitness, Pramod Madurikar, told PTI that the bodies were identified immediately after the crash and shifted to an ambulance, while fire brigade personnel reached the spot almost simultaneously to assist with rescue and emergency operations.
According to Flight Radar, the flight took off from Mumbai at 8.10 am and it disappeared from radar around 8.45 am.
Additionally, according to IANS sources, Ajit Pawar's mortal remains were identified by the watch he was wearing at the time of his death.
Pawar was travelling to Baramati from Mumbai to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the February 5 zilla parishad elections in the state.
There were five people on board when the aircraft crashed at 8.50 am, a police officer said.
Superintendent of Police, Sandip Singh Gill, stated that after the crash, a fire broke out.
"People onboard were immediately taken to the hospital," he added.
(With IANS and PTI inputs)
