Video footage showed a 12m 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, describing it as a “serious incident”.

Police said they had been alerted a little before 4pm local time (1500 GMT). They evacuated a nearby golf club and rugby club as a precaution, they added.

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.

Later Sunday, it announced the airport’s closure “until further notice”.

“All flights to and from the airport have been cancelled while police, emergency services and air accident investigators are attending the incident,” it added.

In a post on X, transport minister Heidi Alexander said she was aware of the “tragic incident” and was following developments closely.

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

Southend-on-Sea is about 65km east of the capital and is the sixth largest airport in the London area.