Baramati, Maharashtra: Heart-wrenching visuals emerged on Wednesday morning as Maharashtra Minister Dattatray Vithoba Bharne was seen in tears following the tragic death of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash.

Video footage from the crash site showed the aircraft’s wreckage scattered across the area, with flames and thick smoke billowing into the sky after the chartered plane carrying Pawar went down while attempting to land in Pune district’s Baramati region.

Officials confirmed that Ajit Pawar (66) and five others on board the privately operated aircraft were killed in the crash. Pawar was travelling with two personal staff members and two crew members when the incident occurred.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have contacted Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to receive updates on the tragedy, the state government said. The DGCA has stated that, as per initial information, no one on board survived the crash.