The morning of the accident the plane had taken off from Pula, Croatia, and arrived safely in Southend

London Southend Airport was rocked by a plane crash on Sunday evening, killing four people on board the plane.

Images of a plume of fire and black smoke rising from the crash site quickly went viral on social media.

The relatively small airport is located about 45 miles (72 kilometres) east of the capital, and Essex Police said it was notified of the “serious incident” at the airport shortly before 4pm.

Essex Police stated at the time: “We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours.”

What other details have been made public? Here’s everything we know.

Where was the flight headed?

A plume of black smoke rises near Southend runway following small plane crash The aircraft was equipped with medical systems for transporting patients
@agussromagnoli via X via REUTER

The plane in question was a Beechcraft King Air B200 with twin engines, which is 12 meters (39 feet) long and can carry more than 20 people.

It was on its way to Lelystad, Netherlands, from Southend Airport, which is home to its operator, Seusch Aviation.

The plane had only arrived at Southend Airport in the morning on July 13, having flown over from Pula, Croatia.

The aircraft was equipped with medical systems for transporting patients. Zeusch Aviation, which operated the aircraft specialises in medical evacuation services and transplant flights, and also runs private charters.

In June, the business posted on LinkedIn a picture that seemed to show a critical care patient being flown from Jersey to Scotland.

It’s unclear if the plane was being used for a medical evacuation while the cause of the crash is still unknown.

Zeusch Aviation, who confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been “involved in an accident” at London Southend Airport, said in a statement that the company was “actively supporting the authorities with the investigation”.

Who was on the plane?

Four people – a Dutch pilot, co-pilot and two nurses – were on the plane.

Only one of the victims has been named so far: Maria Fernanda Rojas Ortiz, 31, a German citicizen born in Chile. It was reportedly her first day as a flight nurse, having initially worked as a nurse in the public sector.

Maria Fernanda Rojaz Ortiz is the only named victim so far
Handout

“She was so excited for this new job,” a friend of Ortiz’s, Anna Smith, told the BBC. “She had a giving heart and was humble, and chose a profession that reflected that.”

The plane had reportedly dropped off a patient at Southend and was returning to the Netherlands.

Are there any casualties?

It has been reported that four people were on board the plane when it crashed.

A man who was at the airport with his wife and children said that the plane crashed just a few seconds after it took off at 3:48pm.

According to John Johnson, as the pilots taxied the aircraft, they “waved” at his family.

He went on to say: “We all waved [back] at them. They turned back and continued taxiing to their takeoff location.”

“Then they throttled up the engines and passed by us. The aircraft took off and within a few seconds it had a steep bank angle to its left.”

After that, the plane “almost seemed to invert and unfortunately crashed,” he said. “There was a large fireball.”

Essex Police remain at the scene on Monday morning, where a wide cordon is in place. Additionally, Essex Police has established a phone line and web link for anyone with information or enquiries regarding the incident.

Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin said: “In these very early stages it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex.

“Please help us keep our emergency lines open by using these specific channels if you’re contacting us about this incident.

“We are working closely with all at the scene, as well as the Air Accident Investigation Branch, to establish what has happened and why.”

Is Southend Airport open?

Southend Airport will stay closed until further notice and has announced that all flights due there will be rerouted.

Jude Winstanley, CEO, London Southend Airport, says: “On behalf of everyone at London Southend Airport, I would like to offer our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those lost in yesterday’s tragic incident.

“We would also like to thank our local community for their messages of support and understanding at this difficult time. Our staff are working closely with the emergency services and air accident investigators to support their work – I would like to thank them all for their hard work during this period.

“We are in constant dialogue with our operating airlines and, as I’m sure everyone will understand, the airport will remain closed until further notice – passengers should contact their airline for information and advice.”