A light aircraft crashed into Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex on Sunday afternoon, prompting an ongoing police investigation in collaboration with the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).
Emergency services were alerted shortly after 2pm on December 28 following reports of a small plane entering the water at the site south of Chelmsford.
Chief Superintendent Waheed Khan stated: "We are still in the early stages of our investigation and are working closely with the Air Accident Investigation Branch to establish what has happened."
Officers remain at the Essex Wildlife Trust nature reserve as investigators work to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident.
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The numbers of those onboard has yet to be confirmed.
Essex County Fire & Rescue Service said emergency crews remain on scene as operations continue at the reservoir site.
The East Anglia Ambulance Service has since departed the location, though other agencies maintain their presence.
Essex Police issued a statement confirming: "We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Hanningfield Reservoir, Chelmsford."
A light aircraft crashed into Hanningfield Reservoir in Essex on Sunday afternoon, prompting an ongoing police investigation in collaboration with the Air Accident Investigation Branch
|PA
Authorities have requested that members of the public stay away from the area while investigative work proceeds.
"We would please ask the public to avoid this area where possible while this work continues," the force said.
Floral tributes have been placed at the scene as the community responds to the incident.
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Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Park remains closed to visitors, with Essex Wildlife Trust confirming the shutdown via social media
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Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Park remains closed to visitors, with Essex Wildlife Trust confirming the shutdown via social media.
The trust stated: "We are unable to comment further, as this is a police and emergency services matter."
"We are doing all that we can to support them," Hanningfield Reservoir Nature Discovery Park added.
"We hope to be open again tomorrow, but we will update the public through our website and social media channels when we know more.”
Officials indicated they hope to reopen the site soon and will provide updates through their website and social media channels
|ESSEX POLICE
Officials indicated they hope to reopen the site soon and will provide updates through their website and social media channels.
Essex Police are appealing for witnesses, urging anyone with information or footage of the crash to contact them.
An AAIB spokesman said: "An accident at Hanningford Reservoir involving an aircraft has been notified to the AAIB.
"An investigation has been launched, and a multidisciplinary team of inspectors have deployed to the accident site."
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