New Delhi, Jan. 28 -- Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday condoled the death of Maharashtra Deputy CM and NCP Chief Ajit Pawar in a plane crash in Baramati.

Speaking to the media, Gadkari, while paying tribute, termed Pawar's passing as "unfortunate".

"Ajit Pawar's death is unfortunate. He was my close friend in politics, and we also had familial relations. His passing away is a huge loss. On behalf of the party, I pay my tributes to him," he said.

The small charter aircraft, which took off from Mumbai around 8 am, crashed near Baramati airport during a landing attempt 45 minutes later. Visuals from the crash spot show fire and smoke spewing from the remains of the plane. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said all five pa...