Plane Crash at London Southend Airport Leaves Four Dead
London Southend Airport remains closed following a fatal plane crash on Sunday, confirmed by chief executive Jude Winstanley. The incident occurred just before 16:00 BST, when Essex Police were alerted to a 12-metre aircraft on fire.
Dutch aviation company Zeusch Aviation confirmed its SUZ1 flight was “involved in an accident” and is cooperating with authorities. The plane had departed Athens, stopped in Pula, Croatia, and landed in Southend before it was scheduled to return to Lelystad, Netherlands.
Eyewitness John Johnson from Billericay described the aircraft taking off and suddenly banking heavily to the left before crashing. “Within a few seconds, the aircraft almost inverted and hit the ground. There was a huge fireball,” he told the BBC.
Emergency services from Southend, Rayleigh Weir, Basildon, Billericay, and Chelmsford responded swiftly to the scene. The East of England Ambulance Service dispatched multiple teams, including four ambulances, a rapid response unit, and air ambulance support.
Tragically, all four individuals on board were killed. Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin stated the victims are believed to be foreign nationals, though their identities have not yet been released.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation, and airport operations are suspended until further notice.
Authorities continue to gather information as the community mourns the loss.