Small plane crashes at London Southend Airport

London (AP): A small plane crashed at London Southend Airport, police said Sunday.

In a statement, Essex Police said it was alerted just before 4 pm local time to the “serious incident" at the relatively small airport, which is around 45 miles (72 kilometres) east of the capital.

Images posted on social media show a plume of fire and black smoke emanating from the crash site. The plane involved is said to be 12 metres (39 feet) long.

The plane was carrying 13 passengers with two crew members.

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

The 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.