London plane crash: Flight nosedives seconds after take-off, 'fireball' explosion sighted at Southend Airport | VIDEO

Emergency services raced on Sunday to the scene of a small plane crash at London's Southend Airport.

No details on where the plane was heading, or how many people were on board, were immediately disclosed.

In a statement on social media, the airport confirmed a serious incident involving what it termed a" general aviation aircraft". Images posted on social media also show a plume of fire and black smoke emanating from the crash site. The plane involved is said to be 12m (39 feet) long.

Witness John Johnson, who was at the airport with his family, stated that he saw a big fireball after the plane crashed head-first into the ground.

"It took off and about three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed just head-first into the ground," he said. "There was a big fireball."

Johnson added that before the plane got into position for take-off, he and his family had waved at the pilots, "and they all waved back at us".

After the crash, Johnson said that the airport's fire service responded straight away, with two fire engines sent to the crash site, followed by local police and ambulances.

The Essex Police said they were alerted just before 4 PM local time about a "serious incident" at the relatively small airport, situated 72km east of the capital.

We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours," Essex Police said.

As an added precaution due to their proximity to the crash site, the police evacuated a local golf club and rugby club.

Local Member of Parliament David Burton-Sampson urged people to stay away and let the emergency services do their work. "My thoughts are with everyone involved," he said.

According to the airport's website, four flights scheduled to take off on Sunday afternoon were cancelled.

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