Four people dead after Southend Airport plane 'fireball' crash

Four people have tragically lost their lives in a plane crash at Southend Airport, it is being reported. The airport will stay shut for the foreseeable future following the aircraft's descent into a "fireball".

Shortly before 4pm on Sunday, Essex Police were called to a "serious incident" involving a 12-metre plane collision at the site.

Social media was quickly flooded with images capturing a soaring plume of fire and billowing black smoke from the location of the accident, with onlookers recounting sights of a blazing "fireball". Zeusch Aviation, which operates from Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 service met with an accident at London Southend Airport.

In a statement, the company mentioned it is "actively supporting the authorities with the investigation" and relayed: "Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected."

According to Zeusch Aviation's website, the aircraft is designated for urgent medical services, including patient or organ transport, reports Essex Live.

The aircraft's journey started in Athens, Greece, continued to Pula in Croatia on Sunday, before it headed towards Southend. A return flight to Lelystad that evening was planned.

It's believed that the four individuals who perished were two passengers and two pilots.

Southend Airport announced on Sunday evening that it would be shut until further notice as all flights both incoming and outgoing were cancelled. Customers scheduled to fly out on Monday are being urged to touch base with their airline, with 20 easyJet flights and two Eastern Airways flights supposed to be operating.

Southend Airport expressed its sentiment about the occurrence: "Our thoughts are with those affected by today's events and all passengers impacted by this disruption. We will restart flight operations as soon as possible and will continue to update the public on developments."

EasyJet has informed Sky that its remaining inbound and outbound services at the airport have either been rerouted to other airports or can sadly no longer take place.

A representative from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) confirmed the commencement of a probe into the predicament, detailing a "multi-disciplinary team including inspectors with expertise in aircraft operations, human factors, engineering and recorded data" made their way to the crash site the previous day.

Following the event, Southend Airport mentioned the involvement of a "general aviation aircraft" and assured they are coordinating efforts with local authorities. Essex Police are offering a specially designed online portal for the public to submit information regarding the crash at: https://esxpol.uk/LIbaz..