Emergency services raced Sunday to the scene of a small plane crash at London Southend Airport.
In a statement on social media, the airport confirmed a “serious incident” involving what it termed a general aviation aircraft.
Images posted on social media show a plume of fire and black smoke emanating from the crash site. The plane involved is said to be 12 meters (39 feet) 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.”
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“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. “There was a big fireball."
HUGE blast at UK airport, locals see ‘huge FIREBALL' erupt into sky
— RT (@RT_com) July 13, 2025
Plane reportedly crashes 'moments after takeoff' at London Southend pic.twitter.com/CFjrvaiFTv
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.
Essex Police said it had been alerted just before 4 p.m. local time to the “serious incident" at the relatively small airport, which is around 45 miles (72 kilometers) east of the capital.
No details on where the plane was heading or how many people were on board were immediately disclosed.
“We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours," Essex Police said.
As a precaution due to their proximity to the incident, police evacuated a local golf club and rugby club.
The local member of parliament, David Burton-Sampson, urged people to stay away and let the emergency services do their work.
“My thoughts are with everyone involved," he said.
According to the airport's website, four flights scheduled to take off on Sunday afternoon were cancelled.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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