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A small aircraft has crashed at a regional airport in London, prompting officials to close it down, according to reports from police and Southend London Airport on Sunday.
Footage captured at the scene showed a 40-foot plane engulfed in flames, sending dark smoke billowing into the sky over Southend-on-Sea, located east of London.
Essex police released a statement describing it as a “serious incident,” noting they were collaborating with various emergency services on-site. “We are working alongside all emergency responders, and this activity will continue for several hours,” the statement indicated.
Authorities received the first alarm shortly before 4 PM local time (1500 GMT) and evacuated a nearby golf club and rugby club as a precautionary measure.
London Southend Airport acknowledged the occurrence of a “serious incident” in a statement released Sunday afternoon. “We are closely coordinating with local authorities and will share further updates as soon as we can,” they added.
Later in the day, the airport announced its closure “until further notice.” The statement confirmed that “all flights to and from the airport have been canceled while police, emergency services, and air crash investigators manage the situation.”
Transport Minister Heidi Alexander addressed the incident on X, expressing her awareness of the “tragic situation” and her close monitoring of ongoing developments.
According to the BBC, the plane involved was a Beechcraft B200 that crashed shortly after takeoff.
Southend-on-Sea is approximately 40 miles (65 km) east of London and ranks as the sixth-largest airport in the greater London area.
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