The Deputy Chief Minister of India’s wealthiest state of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, died on Wednesday, along with four people on board, when his charter aircraft went down in flames, the aviation regulator said.
Pawar, who hailed from a top political family, was en route to his home region to canvass in local body elections, media said.
Two of his staff and two crew were also aboard the Learjet 45 aircraft, the directorate general of civil aviation said.
“No person on board has survived,” it added in an initial statement.
Airplane owner VSR Group, based in New Delhi, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.
Map showing Baramati, India, with a red marker indicating the approximate air crash site west of Baramati Airport.
An inset globe highlights India’s location. Text notes the January 28 crash that killed Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister and four others.
Video images showed smoke billowing from some of the burning wreckage of the plane, scattered across an open field.
–Reuters–
