Police say all four people aboard a small plane that crashed shortly after taking off from London Southend Airport on Sunday are dead.

A small plane has crashed at London Southend Airport on England's south east coast, police said on Sunday. "We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Southend Airport," the local Essex Police said, adding that they were alerted just before 4 p.m. to reports of a collision involving a 39-foot plane.

LONDON — A small plane crashed at London Southend Airport, police said Sunday. In a statement, Essex Police said it was alerted just before 4 p.m. local time to the “serious incident” at the relatively small airport, which is around 45 miles east of the capital.