Fireball at London Southend airport as light aircraft crashes
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff
A small plane crashed during takeoff at London Southend airport on Sunday afternoon, creating a big fireball, eyewitnesses said.
Video footage showed a 12-metre plane in flames with a plume of black smoke at Southend-on-Sea, an airport east of London.
"We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours," said a statement from Essex police.
Police said they had been alerted a little before 4:00 pm local time.
An eyewitness told Sky News that the plane, a Beechcraft B200 used for medical evacuations, banked steeply shortly after takeoff and then crashed. At least two people were on board.
Southend-on-Sea is about 65 kilometres (40 miles) east of the capital and is the sixth largest airport in the London area.