Pune: High flames, burning aircraft, and five charred bodies were what the first responders found after reaching the crash site at Atole Vasti near the Baramati airstrip on Wednesday morning.“We received an emergency call at 8.57am and two fire tenders were sent to the spot. We saw the mangled remains of the aircraft scattered around, and the fire had engulfed nearby trees and grass. The flames were high due to the presence of fuel,” said S T Ingawale, Baramati MIDC fire station officer.
Ingawale said after they controlled the fire, they saw two charred persons outside the aircraft and three inside. “They were burnt and motionless. We took them to hospital in ambulances,” he said.A farmer, Raghu Maruti Atole (65), who lives close to the accident spot, said he was feeding the cattle when a small aircraft went towards the airstrip, but its tail hit a tree. “Within a few minutes, the aircraft returned towards the landing side of the airstrip from the railway gate side around 8.45am. The aircraft was swaying. Then suddenly, there was a loud noise, like a blast. I ran towards the airstrip and saw flames close to 50ft high. Parts of the aircraft were scattered everywhere,” he said.Atole added that before he could call anyone or do something, he heard the sirens of fire brigade vehicles. When asked if there was a dense fog in the area, Atole replied in the affirmative.Sandeep Singh Gill, superintendent of police, Pune rural, said that five people, including deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, were travelling on the plane that crashed in Baramati around 8.55am while approaching the airport. “All the five were moved to hospital where they were pronounced dead.” A police team found the aircraft engulfed in flames, and they waited for the fire brigade to complete their work, Gill said.“The bodies were charred, and we ran DNA tests to establish their identities. We then contacted their relatives,” the police officer said, adding that a special committee will probe the case.Teams from various police stations arrived and cordoned off the crash site after crowd started gathering on hearing the demise of Ajit Pawar. Forensic experts and CID officers, too, reached the spot.
