Airport remains shut down following fireball plane crash
A renowned doctor and a young nurse were among the four persons killed in a tragic plane crash at Southend Airport on Sunday, leaving the town in shock and prompting a thorough enquiry.
The plane, a medical transport operated by Zeusch Aviation, a Dutch aviation firm, had just finished transferring a patient to the UK and was getting ready to take off again for Lelystad, the Netherlands, when the catastrophe occurred.
A fireball could be seen across the airstrip as the plane crashed into the earth after losing control and banking hard shortly after takeoff.
There were four passengers: a 46-year-old doctor, a 31-year-old nurse, and two Dutch male pilots.
They all unfortunately perished in the crash and were foreign nationals.
Authorities have yet to formally confirm the identity of the dead, however media reports have identified the nurse as Maria Fernanda Rojas Ortiz, a Chilean native who is also a German citizen, and the doctor as Dr. Matthias Eyl, a German national.
The recovery of the fourth body is still ongoing, but Essex Police have verified that three bodies have been recovered from the debris.
On Tuesday, a police official stated, “We’re continuing to work on recovering a fourth body within the next 24 hours.”
The coroner is collaborating closely with the officers to verify the victims’ identities.
Shortly before 4:00 PM local time, the collision happened.
In a matter of seconds, the plane started banking sharply to the left after taking off normally, according to witnesses.
Then the plane seemed to flip around and hit the earth nose-first in a terrifying moment.
Witness John Johnson of Billericay, who was at the airport with his wife and kids, recounted the horrifying experience.
Following takeoff, it began to bank sharply to its left after three or four seconds.
A few more seconds later, it was more or less upside down and hit the ground with its head.
A massive fireball was present.
Everybody was stunned.
Prior to the collision, Johnson and his family had waved to the pilots in the cockpit, who had returned their smiles.
All of us returned the smile.
Then it turned around to face the runway, fired up its engines, and sped down it,” he remembered.
“It all happened really quickly.
It was unexpected.”
Emergency services reacted swiftly, with specialised units from Billericay and Chelmsford providing support to fire firefighters from Southend, Rayleigh Weir, and Basildon as they hurried to the scene.
Four ambulances, a quick response vehicle, four units of the Hazardous Area Response Team, and the Essex and Herts Air Ambulance were among the several vehicles sent by the East of England Ambulance Service.
The deaths of all four passengers were confirmed despite the quick response.
According to Essex Police, no patients were on board the aircraft when the incident occurred, and the deceased were foreign nationals.
The investigation is currently being handled by investigators from the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), who are looking through the wreckage, gathering electronic data, and analysing flight patterns to ascertain the cause of the disaster.
Lisa Fitzsimons of the AAIB stated that it is too soon to make any assumptions, highlighting the necessity of a comprehensive and systematic enquiry.
Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin emphasised that Essex Police and the AAIB are collaborating closely on the task at hand.
The goal of everything we do, he stated, is to locate and preserve the technological and physical evidence that will hopefully contribute to the creation of a precise picture of what transpired.
“You should not undervalue the amount of work that numerous agencies are doing here at London Southend Airport.”
The airport in London Southend has been closed since then and will stay closed till further notice.
Jude Winstanley, the airport’s chief executive, thanked the media and reiterated the airport’s dedication to supporting the investigation.
She stated, “Our thoughts are focused on the families and friends of those who lost their lives on Sunday.”
“We express our gratitude to our passengers and the local community for their patience during this period.”
The Lelystad, Netherlands-based Zeusch Aviation confirmed that its SUZ1 aircraft was a part of the collision.
During this extremely trying time, the company remarked, “Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the victims, their families, and loved ones.”
“We are assisting the authorities with the investigation in a proactive manner and will furnish updates as new information becomes available.”
According to flight monitoring information, the plane had flown from Athens, Greece, stopped in Pula, Croatia, and then arrived in Southend earlier that day to take a patient.
The deadly return flight never left the gates of the airport.
International tributes have poured in.
Friends and coworkers are lamenting the death of a woman who was characterised as devoted, kind, and vibrant, and a GoFundMe page in her honour has generated almost £5,800.
The leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer, posted on X (previously Twitter) to express his sadness, writing: “Heartbreaking news that four people tragically lost their lives in yesterday’s plane crash at Southend Airport.”
Their families and loved ones are in my thoughts.
All of the emergency personnel that responded to the site deserve my gratitude as well.
In order to help with the ongoing investigation, Essex Police is asking any witnesses who may have seen the crash or who may have taken video to come forward.
Families are waiting for official identification and repatriation procedures to start, and the Southend Airport community is still in grief while the wreckage is still being searched.
All those who saw the tragedy unfold have been deeply affected emotionally by the catastrophe, which has also sparked concerns about aviation safety.