A small plane crashed at London Southend Airport on Sunday. The airport, located about 72 kilometers east of London, confirmed on social media that there had been a “serious incident” involving a general aviation aircraft. Essex Police said they were alerted just before 4 pm local time and described it as a “serious incident.” They added, as cited by the news agency Associated Press, “We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.”Photos shared on social media showed fire and thick black smoke rising from the crash site. The aircraft involved in the incident is said to be 12 meters long. Witness John Johnson, who was at the airport with his family, said he saw a “big fireball” after the plane “crashed head first into the ground.” “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, as quoted by AP. “There was a big fireball”, he added. Johnson also recalled that before the crash, he and his family had waved at the pilots. “They all waved back at us,” he said, adding that the airport’s fire service responded immediately with two fire engines, followed by local police, ambulance and fire services. Details about how many people were on board or where the plane was going have not yet been shared. As a safety measure, police evacuated a nearby golf club and rugby club because of their closeness to the crash site. Local MP David Burton-Sampson urged people to avoid the area and allow emergency services to operate. “My thoughts are with everyone involved,” he said. According to the airport’s website, four flights scheduled for Sunday afternoon were cancelled after the incident.
