Mumbai, 28 Jan

The ill-fated aircraft carrying Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar appeared "a bit unstable in the air" and exploded the moment it crashed on the ground near Baramati in Pune district on Wednesday morning, according to a woman eyewitness.

Another person who witnessed the incident said that after the crash, the aircraft burstinto flames, followed by four to five consecutive blasts.

Pawar, 66, and four other persons were killed after their aircraft crash-landed at the Baramati airport at 8.50am, as per officials.

A local woman resident said she noticed the aircraft as it circled the Baramati airport in the morning.

"It took a round in the air, appeared a bit unstable and as it was approaching the runway to land, it hit the ground hard and exploded. There was a loud sound that could be heard at our home," the woman told a news channel.

She said several parts of the aircraft were hurled into the air after the explosion and fell near her house. "The plane tilted before coming down. We saw the explosion and it was frightening," she said.

Another eyewitness also said the aircraft appeared to be losing control as it descended.

"The way the plane was coming down, we felt it was going to crash. It was around 100 feet above the runway. As we rushed towards it, we saw flames, followed by four to five consecutive blasts, which prevented us from going anywhere near the aircraft," he told reporters.

"It was a major fire. We later learned that Pawar was on the aircraft. It was shocking for us," he added.

Another eyewitness, Pramod Madurikar, said the bodies were identified immediately after the crash and shifted to an ambulance, while fire brigade personnel reached the spot almost simultaneously to assist with rescue and emergency operations.

According to Flight Radar, the flight took off from Mumbai at 8.10am and it disappeared from radar around 8.45 am.

Pawar was travelling to Baramati from Mumbai to address public meetings as part of the campaign for the 5 February zilla parishad elections in Maharashtra.

There were five persons on board when the aircraft crashed at 8.50am, a police official said.

Superintendent of Police, Sandip Singh Gill, said that after the crash, there was a fire. "People onboard were immediately taken to the hospital," he added.