Was Ajit Pawar’s body identified by his watch? What we know about tragic plane crash

Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar has died after his plane crashed during landing at Baramati airport. His body was identified by his watch and clothes, according to a local resident. Pawar was on a tour to Maharashtra’s Baramati and was set to hold four election rallies. The charter plane was travelling from Mumbai to Baramati when it crash landed at 8:45 am. DGCA has confirmed that there are no survivors in the Baramati plane crash in which Pawar was on board.

Locals also tried to extinguish the fire and rescue people who were aboard the plane. While at first they would not identify the body, Pawar’s identity was later confirmed through his wristwatch. According to reports, the veteran politician was often seen wearing a silver watch with a black dial, although it is unclear whether he was wearing the same watch at the time of the crash.

Meanwhile, forensic teams were brought in to assist with the recovery and formal identification of victims in the crash. Officials said that their remains have been sent for further examination according to standard protocol.

A local resident described moments when Parwar’s plane crash landed near the runway, “We live here, and behind us, there is an airstrip where we saw that a plane came, and it did not land. It went further, but then it turned back in some time and started landing. But then it crash landed just before the runway. As soon as we saw that, we informed the people we knew around the airstrip, so the police and others came immediately.”

“They tried to extinguish the fire. After 15 minutes, they could douse the fire, and when we went near, we saw a headless body lying there. It was completely burned and swollen,” the local resident told ANI. “We could not identify it, but later, with the help of something in the hand, it was identified that it was the body of Dada (Ajit Pawar). The police team came to us and asked for water. We gave them, and they also asked for clothes to cover it, so we gave a new blanket from our house.”

The Learjet 45 aircraft had departed from Mumbai’s GA Terminal at 8:10 am. However, as it approached the runway at Baramati airport, it crash-landed, killing all on board. An investigation has been launched by India’s civil aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The initial probe revealed that Pawar was critically injured but still alive following the crash, but died when the aircraft exploded.

Maharashtra has declared a state mourning for three days. All government offices will remain closed, and the national flag will be flown at half-mast.