Four people have died following a plane crash at London Southend Airport.
The airport in Essex remains shut after the Beechcraft B200 aircraft, a medical transport plane, crashed to the ground and erupted in a fireball on Sunday afternoon.
Now, GB News understands that four people, believed to be two pilots and two passengers, died in the crash.
Essex Police chief superintendent Morgan Cronin has confirmed the victims are foreign nationals.
MAPPED: Where did the jet crash - and what has been shut down afterwards?GB NEWS
Passengers outside the terminal building at Southend Airport in EssexPAZeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands, confirmed its SUZ1 flight had been "involved in an accident" at the airport.
The plane had flown from Athens to Pula in Croatia on Sunday before heading to Southend. It was scheduled to return to Lelystad on Sunday night.
The airport announced on Sunday night it was closed until further notice, with all arriving and departing flights cancelled.
Passengers booked to travel on Monday are advised to contact their airline. There were scheduled to be 20 easyJet flights and two Eastern Airways flights departing from or arriving at the airport on Monday.
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Emergency services at the scene in Southend last night GETTYA spokesman from Southend Airport said last night: "Our thoughts are with those affected by today’s events and all passengers impacted by this disruption.
"We will restart flight operations as soon as possible and will continue to update the public on developments."
Speaking at a press conference held at Southend Airport this afternoon, Lisa Fitzsimons, of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said it was "too early to speculate" what may have caused the plane crash.
She confirmed a safety investigation had been launched by the AAIB into what caused the "tragic" incident.
"At this stage, it is too early to speculate on what may have caused this tragic accident. Our focus is on gathering the physical evidence from the accident site and interviewing witnesses, Fitzsimons said
“The remains of the aircraft will then be recovered to our facility in Farnborough, Hampshire, for further detailed investigation.
“Our thoughts are with the families and friends of everyone involved. We would also like to express our thanks to the emergency services, and the airport for their assistance.”
Emergency services attend the scene of a plane crash at Southend Airport
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Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said crews from Southend, Rayleigh Weir and Basildon, along with off-road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford had attended the incident.
Four ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, four hazardous area response team vehicles, three senior paramedic cars and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance were also sent to the scene, the East of England Ambulance Service said.
David Burton-Sampson, Labour MP for Southend West and Leigh, wrote on social media: "I am aware of an incident at Southend Airport.
"Please keep away and allow the emergency services to do their work. My thoughts are with everyone involved."