A small plane crashed shortly after taking off from London Southend Airport on Sunday afternoon, forcing the airport to shut down and cancel all flights until further notice.
Emergency services responded rapidly to the scene, with police, fire and ambulance crews, as well as air accident investigators, attending the site.
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“We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Southend Airport,” Essex Police said in a statement.
Authorities were alerted just before 4pm local time to reports of a collision involving a 12-metre aircraft.
According to the UK media, the aircraft was a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, configured as a medical transport jet and bound for the Netherlands.
“We are actively supporting the authorities with the investigation and will provide updates on this page as more information becomes available,” a statement from the firm said.
Online footage showed thick black smoke and flames rising from the crash site.
The airport, located in Essex on England’s southeast coast, confirmed on social media that all services were halted: “All flights to and from the airport… have been cancelled while police, emergency services and air accident investigators attend the incident.”
Local MP David Burton-Sampson urged people to stay away from the area.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved,” he said.
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