A small plane crashed shortly after takeoff from London Southend Airport on Sunday. The airport has been closed until further notice. Authorities have not yet confirmed if anyone was injured or killed.A video shared on social media shows thick black smoke rising from the crash site. The entire aircraft was hidden in the smoke, and no other parts were visible after the crash.The plane was operated by Zeusch Aviation, a company based in the Netherlands. It had flown earlier on Sunday from Athens, Greece, to Pula, Croatia, and then to Southend. It was supposed to fly back to Lelystad in the Netherlands that evening.
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Zeusch Aviation confirmed that its flight SUZ1 was involved in the accident. The company said it is helping with the investigation and added, “Our thoughts are with everyone who has been affected.”Reports say the aircraft was a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, a 12-meter-long turboprop plane fitted with medical equipment to transport patients.Southend Airport, located about 72 kilometers east of London, has cancelled all flights while police, emergency services, and air accident investigators examine the crash site.A witness named John Johnson, who was at the airport with his family, said he saw a “big fireball” after the plane hit the ground.“It took off and about three or four seconds later, it started turning sharply to the left. Then it flipped and crashed head-first into the ground,” he said.Johnson also mentioned that before takeoff, he and his family waved at the pilots, and the pilots waved back.Essex Police said they were alerted to a “serious incident” just before 4pm on Sunday.
