A small aircraft crashed at London Southend Airport on Sunday afternoon, news agency AP reported, quoting the Essex Police.
“We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Southend Airport,” the police said in a statement. Officers said they received reports of a collision involving a 12-metre aircraft just before 4 pm.
Photos published by British newspapers appear to show flames and black smoke rising above the airport, located around 35 miles (56 kilometres) east of central London, as per news agency AP.
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The airport said in a statement on social media that a “serious incident” had taken place involving a general aviation aircraft. The aircraft involved is said to be 12 metres (39 feet) long.
Witness John Johnson, who was at the airport with his family, said he saw the aircraft fall shortly after takeoff.
“It took off and about three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left,” he told AP. “Then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed just head first into the ground. There was a big fireball.”
He added that the airport’s fire crew reached the site quickly, followed by police, ambulance and fire services.
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Essex Police said they were alerted just before 4 p.m. local time to the crash. The airport is located about 45 miles (72 kilometres) east of London.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours,” police said in a statement quoted by AP.
As a precaution, police evacuated a nearby golf course and rugby club. No information has been shared yet about where the plane was headed or how many people were on board.
David Burton-Sampson, the local Member of Parliament, urged people to avoid the area. “My thoughts are with everyone involved,” he said.
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The airport’s website showed that four scheduled flights were cancelled following the crash.