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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar, along with four others, died in a plane crash near Baramati on Wednesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) confirmed. All six passengers on board were killed when the aircraft crashed while attempting to land.
The incident occurred around 9 AM, roughly an hour after take-off from Mumbai.
Visuals from the crash site showed fire, smoke, and mangled remains of the aircraft, with locals and emergency personnel rushing to assist.
Rescue teams transported three bodies to Baramati Medical College, and authorities are currently identifying them, according to the Pune Superintendent of Police.
Deputy CM Pawar’s family, including his wife Sunetra Pawar and son Parth, arrived at the scene.
NCP-SP working president Supriya Sule and other party members had planned to travel to Baramati from Delhi, but were not on board the ill-fated flight. Pawar was en route to attend a public meeting amid ongoing Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections.
Emergency services and senior security officials responded immediately. Rescue teams immediately deployed to the site when the aircraft lost control during landing.
DGCA officials have reached the site to investigate the crash, while locals who witnessed the incident assisted in initial rescue efforts.
This tragedy follows previous aviation scares involving NCP leaders. In October 2024, a helicopter carrying party colleague Sunil Tatkare crashed in Pune, and there have been prior emergency landings in the region due to adverse weather.
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