SOUTHEND-ON-SEA, England (BN24) — A doctor was among four people killed when a medical transport plane crashed and erupted in a fireball at London Southend Airport, authorities said Tuesday, as efforts continued to recover the final victim’s remains.
Two Dutch pilots and a Chilean-born nurse also died in the crash, which happened Sunday afternoon shortly after the aircraft had dropped off a patient in the United Kingdom and was departing for its return to the Netherlands.
Essex Police said three of the victims’ bodies have been recovered and that investigators expect to retrieve the fourth within the next 24 hours.
Although formal identifications are pending, the male doctor on board was named in media reports as Dr. Matthias Eyl, 46, a German national. The nurse was identified as Maria Fernanda Rojas Ortiz, 31, originally from Chile but also holding German nationality. All four people killed were foreign nationals, police confirmed.
The victims had been traveling in a medical flight operated by Zeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands. The flight had been chartered to transport a patient to London for medical treatment.
Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin of Essex Police said a joint effort between officers, the coroner and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) is underway to recover evidence and determine what caused the aircraft to plunge into the ground.
John Johnson, who was at the airport with his family, described watching in horror as the plane banked sharply after takeoff and flipped upside down before crashing.
“There was a big fireball,” Johnson said. “Everybody was in shock witnessing it.”
The blaze erupted moments after the aircraft hit the ground, sending a column of flames and smoke into the sky that could be seen for miles.
Lisa Fitzsimons of the AAIB cautioned that it was “too early to speculate” on the cause of the crash. Investigators are examining the wreckage and collecting physical and electronic evidence at the scene.
London Southend Airport remained closed Tuesday, with officials saying the airport would stay shut “until further notice.”
“The friends and families of those lost on Sunday are at the forefront of our minds,” the airport said in a statement.
Zeusch Aviation confirmed that its SUZ1 flight was involved in the accident and expressed condolences to the victims’ families.
A GoFundMe campaign set up to support the family of Rojas Ortiz had raised more than £5,800 by Tuesday evening.
Police are appealing to anyone who witnessed the crash or has video of the incident to come forward.
“The scale of the work being undertaken by many agencies here should not be underestimated,” Cronin said. “That work at the scene will continue today and further into the week as we seek to find the answers to what happened.”
Opposition leader Keir Starmer paid tribute to those killed, writing on X: “Terrible news that four people tragically lost their lives in yesterday’s plane crash at Southend Airport. My thoughts are with their families and loved ones.”
