Emergency services have rushed to London Southend Airport after a small plane crashed, forcing the closure of the airport until further notice.<\/p>\n
No information on any casualties was immediately available.<\/p>\n
All flights to and from the airport in Essex on England’s south-east coast have been cancelled while police, emergency services and air accident investigators attend the incident, the airport said in a social media post.<\/p>\n
Loading Instagram content<\/p>\n
The plane was operated by Zeusch Aviation in the Netherlands and had flown from Athens, Greece, to Pula, Croatia, before heading to Southend on Sunday afternoon, local time.<\/p>\n
It was due to return to Lelystad, Netherlands, on Sunday evening.<\/p>\n
Zeusch Aviation confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been involved in an accident and said the company was supporting the investigation.<\/p>\n
“Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected,” its statement said.<\/p>\n
No details on where the plane was heading or how many people were on board were immediately disclosed.<\/p>\n
British media said it was a medical transport aircraft equipped with medical systems for transporting patients, specifically a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air heading to the Netherlands.<\/p>\n
“We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Southend Airport,” the local Essex police said, adding that they were alerted just before 4pm, local time, to reports of a collision involving a 12-metre plane.<\/p>\n
Soon after the crash, images circulated on social media showing a plume of fire and black smoke emanating from the crash site above the Southend Airport, about 56 kilometres east of London.<\/p>\n
The airport’s website showed five international flights had been cancelled following the accident.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Emergency services attended the scene of the plane crash around 4pm, local time.\u00a0 (Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Plane crashed within seconds of taking off, witness says<\/p>\n
Witness John Johnson, who was at the airport with his family, told news agency Associated Press he saw a “big fireball” after the plane “crashed head-first into the ground”.<\/p>\n
“It took off and about three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed just head-first into the ground,” he said.<\/p>\n
“There was a big fireball.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Mr Johnson said that before the plane got into position for take-off, he and his family waved at the pilots and “they all waved back at us”.<\/p>\n
After the crash, Mr Johnson said the airport’s fire service responded straight away, with two fire engines sent to the crash site, followed by local police, ambulance and fire services.<\/p>\n
The East of England Ambulance Service said it had sent four ambulances and other response vehicles.<\/p>\n
The local member of parliament, David Burton-Sampson, urged people to stay away and let the emergency services do their work.<\/p>\n
“My thoughts are with everyone involved,” he said.<\/p>\n
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