Deputy chief minister of India’s Maharashtra state among five dead in air charter crash

(Reuters)

DELHI, Jan 28 – The deputy chief minister of India’s wealthiest state of Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, died on Wednesday, along with four other 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 VSR Ventures-operated Learjet 45 aircraft, the directorate general of civil aviation said.

“No person on board has survived,” it added in an initial statement.

VK Singh, the director of VSR Ventures, told broadcaster India Today that the plane crashed during its approach to the city of Baramati, but the cause was not clear.

“The aircraft is 100% safe,” he said. “The crew was fairly experienced.”