Medical plane crashes after takeoff at London Southend Airport

A twin-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff at London Southend Airport, officials said. It remains unclear how many people were on board.

The incident occurred at approximately 4 p.m. local time on Sunday, just minutes after the aircraft took off. All flights at Southend Airport were grounded to allow emergency services to extinguish the flames and secure the scene.

The aircraft involved was a Beechcraft B200, a light twin-engine plane used for medical transport, according to The Times. It had reportedly arrived earlier from Croatia and was departing for Lelystad in the Netherlands. It remains unclear whether any patients were on board at the time of the crash.

According to flight-tracking data cited by Sky News, the plane took off at 3:48 p.m. A witness at the airport described seeing the plane bank sharply to the left before appearing to invert and crash. “There was a large fireball,” the witness told the outlet.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they were called to the scene at 3:58 p.m. and assisted with the response.

London Southend Airport said it was working closely with local authorities and would provide more information as it becomes available. No details have been released about casualties or the number of people on board.

An investigation is ongoing to determine the cause of the crash.