'It exploded before our eyes': Witnesses recall Ajit Pawar plane crash horror in Baramati

Dubai: Witnesses recounted terrifying moments as a Learjet 45 carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP chief Ajit Pawar crash-landed near Baramati airport in Pune district on Wednesday, killing all five people on board.

According to witnesses, the aircraft appeared to lose control seconds before touching down, plunging nearly 100 feet short of the runway before crashing and erupting into flames.

“I saw it with my eyes. When the aircraft descended, it seemed it would crash — and it did crash. It then exploded and there was a massive fire. Four to five more explosions followed,” a witness told news agency ANI.

Locals rushed towards the wreckage in an attempt to rescue those onboard but were forced back by the intense blaze. “People came and tried to pull the passengers out of the aircraft, but because the fire was too huge, they could not help,” the witness said.

Another witness gave a chilling account of the moments after the crash, saying the aircraft triggered several explosions after hitting the ground.

“This is really painful. When the aircraft descended, it seemed it would crash — and it did crash. It then exploded. There was a massive explosion. After that, we rushed here and saw the aircraft on fire. There were four to five explosions again,” he told ANI.

“More people came here and tried to pull the people out of the aircraft, but since the fire was huge, no one could help. Ajit Pawar was onboard and this is really painful for us. I can’t describe it in words,” the witness added.

Videos from the scene showed thick black smoke billowing from burning wreckage scattered across an open field near the airport.

Officials later confirmed that all five people on board died in the crash.

The aircraft was a Learjet 45, a twin-engine business jet commonly used for chartered flights and VIP travel.

Registered as VT-SSK, the jet had been chartered from Mumbai and had taken off about an hour before the crash. Airport officials said it veered off the runway while attempting to land at Baramati airport before exploding on impact.