London plane crash: Small aircraft crashes after takeoff at Southend Airport; all flights cancelled
Synopsis
London plane crash: A small aircraft crashed after takeoff at Southend Airport on Sunday, triggering a major emergency response. All flights were cancelled and the airport was closed as investigations began into the serious incident.
London: A small plane has crashed at a London regional airport, the police and Southend London airport announced Sunday, forcing its closure.
Video footage showed a 12-metre plane in flames with a plume of black smoke at Southend-on-Sea, an airport east of London.
Emergency services respond to 'serious incident'
"We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours," said a statement from Essex police, describing it as a "serious incident".
Police said they had been alerted a little before 4:00 pm local time (1500 GMT). They evacuated a nearby golf club and rugby club as a precaution, they added.
A statement from London Southend Airport confirmed there had been "a serious incident" Sunday afternoon.
"We are working closely with the local authorities and will be able to provide more information as soon as possible," it added.
All flights cancelled; airport closed until further notice
Later Sunday, it announced the airport's closure "until further notice".
"All flights to and from the airport have been cancelled while police, emergency services and air accident investigators are attending the incident," it added.
In a post on X, transport minister Heidi Alexander said she was aware of the "tragic incident" and was following developments closely.
According to the BBC, the plane, a Beechcraft B200, crashed soon after takeoff.
Southend-on- Sea is about 65 kilometres (40 miles) east of the capital and is the sixth largest airport in the London area.