Senior politician dies in India plane crash

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has paid tribute after a minister was killed in a plane crash which left no survivors.

Ajit Pawar and four other people were travelling on the private plane from India's financial capital, Mumbai, to the minister's home city, Baramati, when it crashed.

The reason for the crash was not immediately known, but the aircraft slammed into a field and burst into flames some 159 miles (254km) from Mumbai.

"At ‍first it was on fire, after that there were four or five more explosions," a witness told ANI News.

Mr Pawar, the deputy chief minister of India's western Maharashtra state, was on his way to campaign in a local election at the time.

As the second-highest elected official in Maharashtra, the 66-year-old was a key figure in state politics.

He was part of Mr Modi's ruling coalition, influential in the state's sugar belt, and was known for his ability to mobilise rural voters.

In a post on X, Mr Modi called Mr Pawar a "widely respected" and "hardworking personality" and shared photos of the pair of them together.

"His understanding of administrative matters and passion for empowering the poor and downtrodden were also noteworthy," he wrote.

"His untimely demise is very shocking and saddening. Condolences to his family and countless admirers."

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In a subsequent post, the prime minister expressed his sadness for all the victims, and wished "strength and courage" for the bereaved.

Two of Mr Pawar's staff and two crew members were also killed when the mid-size Learjet 45 went down, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said.