Small Dutch plane crashes, explodes in England; London Southend airport closed

A small Dutch plane crashed and exploded in England on Sunday afternoon. All flights to and from London Southend airport have been canceled, the airport reported on Sunday evening. Nothing is yet known about who was on board the plane.

According to the Essex police, the 12-meter-long aircraft crashed just before 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, shortly after takeoff. The plane was on its way to Lelystad Airport, the Dutch airport confirmed to ANP.

The fire brigade, police, and ambulance services spent hours at the scene, but there is still no information about who was on the plane. It is also unclear whether there were any survivors.

At 8:45 p.m., the Essex police reported that they cordoned off the area to give emergency services room to work. The police expected to be busy at the scene “overnight and into the morning.”

According to NOS, the small plane was operated by the Dutch company Zeusch Aviation, which specializes in medical evacuations and organ flights. The company also operates private flights.

London Southend airport is closed until further notice, the airport said at 9:40 p.m. on Sunday. “We ask that any passengers due to travel [Monday, July 14] via London Southend Airport contact their airline for information and advice,” the airport said. “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.”