Small plane crashes at Southend London airport

London: A small plane has crashed at a London regional airport, the police and Southend London airport announced Sunday.

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 (1500 GMT).

A statement from London Southend Airport confirmed there had been “a serious incident” Sunday afternoon.

“We are working closely with the local authorities and will be able to provide more information as soon as possible,” it added.

Read More: Air India Flight 171 Crash Preliminary Findings: What We Know So Far

According to the BBC, the plane, a Beechcraft B200, crashed soon after takeoff.

Southend-on-Sea is about 65 kilometres (40 miles) east of the capital and is the sixth largest airport in the London area.