City urged to 'come together' after plane crash

A council leader has urged a city to come together after four people died in a plane crash.

It has emerged that a Dutch pilot, a co-pilot and a nurse were among the people who died after a small plane crashed at London Southend Airport on Sunday.

Southend-on-Sea City Council leader Daniel Cowan said: "This is a deeply saddening moment for our community, and our thoughts are with everyone affected.

"Southend is a city that comes together in times of sorrow, and I know our residents will join me in offering compassion and solidarity to all those impacted by this tragedy."

London Southend Airport has been closed since the plane crash, and witnesses described a "fireball" type explosion soon after the Netherlands-bound light aircraft had taken off.

Essex Police said: "We can confirm three bodies have now been recovered from the crash site.

"We're continuing to work on recovering a fourth body within the next 24 hours."

A woman who was killed in the plane crash was working on her first day as a "flight nurse", the BBC understands.

Maria Fernanda Rojaz Ortiz, 31, was a German citizen born in Chile and had previously worked as a nurse in the public sector.

Also on board the flight was its commander, co-pilot and a doctor, who were all men.

Essex Police said it was working with HM Coroner and would not be able to confirm their identities until formal identification had taken place.

A spokesperson from Zeusch Aviation said the group were involved in a medical transport mission.

"We can confirm that the four people on board flight SUZ1 were two of our pilots, both valued colleagues, and two medical professionals," they added.

All four travelling on the plane were foreign nationals and Essex Police said it was in contact with their respective embassies.

Officers said support for the families of the victims has also been taking place in their home countries.

In a statement, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines said it was "deeply saddened by the accident".

"Among the four people who died was a KLM colleague," the statement added.

"Our thoughts are with the bereaved families, for whom we are, of course, ready to provide support.

"We wish the families and friends of the victims strength in dealing with this terrible news."

London Southend Airport said it will remain shut until further notice.

Passengers have been urged to contact their airline for information and advice.

A spokesperson for the airport said: "The friends and families of those lost on Sunday are at the forefront of our minds.

"Our team continues to work closely with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch to support their work."

It is the second tragedy to happen in the city in recent weeks.

On 28 June, Leonna Ruka, 7, from Dagenham in east London, was killed when a branch from a large tree in Chalkwell Park fell on five children.

The opening of an inquest into her death is due to take place on Wednesday.

Cowan said: "Two major tragedies in a short space of time is clearly going to take their toll on people, which is why we're encouraging people - anyone needing help - to reach out for it.

"People are coming together and mourning these tragedies as a community, and you can see the outpouring of love and support in person, and online with communities looking to help and support each other," he said.

The airline EasyJet, which has a base at Southend, said Tuesday's morning's three scheduled departures, and the return flights, were operating via London Gatwick.

It said it continued to "work closely with the airport to understand when operations are able to resume".

Passengers were advised to check its Flight Tracker for the latest information.

Eastern Airways offered "sincere condolences" to the crashed plane's Netherlands-based operator and to staff at Southend Airport who had to deal with the incident.

It said a Newquay-based aircraft was "stranded" at Southend, which was affecting its flights.

A spokesperson said it had "refunded a number of passengers to allow them to make alternate transport arrangements".

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