London Southend Airport closed, all flights cancelled after small plane crash

London Southend Airport in Essex said that it has closed operations until further notice after the police said a small plane crashed at the airport on England's south-east coast on Sunday.

All flights to and from the airport have been cancelled while police, emergency services and air accident investigators are attending the incident, London Southend Airport said in a post on X.

"We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Southend Airport," the local Essex police said, adding that they were alerted just before 4pm to reports of a collision involving a 12-metre (39.4-foot) plane.

It was unclear how many people were on the plane.

Images from British newspaper websites, not verified by Reuters, showed a fireball rising into the air above Southend Airport, around 35 miles (56 km) east of London.

The East of England Ambulance Service said it had sent four ambulances and other response vehicles.

The airport's website showed five international flights had been cancelled following the accident.