A Zeusch Aviation medical plane with four onboard crashed and exploded after take-off from London Southend Airport, prompting airport closure and ongoing investigation.

A small passenger jet crashed shortly after takeoff from London Southend Airport on Sunday, triggering a massive fireball and thick plumes of smoke visible across Essex. The aircraft, a Beech B200 Super King Air en route to the Netherlands, went down just moments after becoming airborne around 4 pm.

Southend Airport has closed after a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air B200 crashed and erupted burst into flames shortly after takeoff.