Latest news with #medicalTransport
News.com.au
7 days ago
- News.com.au
‘Huge fireball': Four dead in horrific medical plane crash in London
Four people died when a medical transport plane crashed and burst into flames shortly after take off at a London airport, including a woman who is understood to have been on her first day as a flight nurse. A pilot, co-pilot, nurse and doctor were tragically killed when the Beech B200 Super King Air crashed on Sunday afternoon, local time, at London Southend Airport. The international airport is located on the outskirts of resort town Southend-on-Sea in Essex. All flights have been cancelled and the airport remains closed. Three bodies have been recovered from the crash site with the fourth expected to be recovered within the next 24 hours, the latest update from Essex Police on Tuesday afternoon (12.55am Wednesday AEST) said. German Maria Fernanda Rojaz Ortiz, 31, has been named by friends as the nurse on board. A friend told BBC Ms Rojaz Ortiz was 'fun' and 'outgoing' with the 'kindest soul'. 'She had a giving heart and was humble, and chose a profession that reflected that,' Anna Smith said. 'She was so excited for this new job – it was her first day.' Police have not officially identified the victims, who are all foreign nationals. The pilots and doctor were men. Essex Police Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin described the crash as an 'incredibly complex incident' and said police were investigating alongside the Air Accident Investigation Branch. 'Everything we are doing is aimed at finding and preserving the physical and electronic evidence which we hope will help build an accurate picture of what happened,' he said. 'The scale of the work being undertaken by many agencies here at Southend Airport should not be underestimated. 'That work at the scene will continue today and further into the week as we seek to find the answers to what happened here on Sunday afternoon.' The flight was a medical flight chartered to London Southend Airport for a patient to be transported onward for medical treatment in the UK, police said. The aircraft had landed at the airport earlier in the day and had then taken off on route to the Netherlands. 'Shortly after takeoff, it got into difficulty and crashed within the airport boundary,' Chief Superintendent Cronin said in an earlier press conference. The plane was operated by Zeusch Aviation, based at Lelystad Airport in the Netherlands. London Southend Airport said it would remain closed 'until further notice' and advised people with flights scheduled to contact their airline. 'The friends and families of those lost on Sunday are at the forefront of our minds,' an airport spokesperson said. 'Our team continues to work closely with the Air Accidents Investigation Branch to support their work.' Witnesses described seeing a 'huge fireball' at the airport at about 4pm on Sunday. They said the pilots of the plane had waved at children shortly before the crash. John Johnson, who witnessed the crash with his family and said he was 'pretty shaken up', told PA news agency: 'We all waved at the pilots, and they all waved back at us. 'The aircraft then turned 180 degrees to face its takeoff, departure, powered up, rolled down the runway. 'It took off and about three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more of less inverted and crashed just head first into the ground. 'There was a big fireball. Obviously, everybody was in shock in terms of witnessing it. 'All the kids saw it and the families saw it. I phoned 999, reported it.' A bartender at the nearby golf club, which was evacuated following the crash, said he felt 'a big heatwave' before seeing a 'massive fireball' in the sky. James Philpott told the BBC: 'I was just basically in a hut like in the middle of the course and I didn't even see any plane go down or anything and I just felt like a big heatwave come through and I looked up and there was just a massive fireball basically 100 foot in the sky. 'It was more the heat really just kind of hit me as I was sitting there, just like, feel like I'm baking.' He continued: 'I think everyone was just quite shocked to be honest.' Essex Police have urged members of the public who either witnessed the crash or have video footage of it to get in touch with them. They are particularly interested in footage of any small jets – not commercial aircraft – landing at Southend Airport on Sunday, July 13 between 2.15pm and 4pm.
CNN
13-07-2025
- CNN
Small plane crashes at London Southend Airport
Emergency services raced Sunday to the scene of a small plane crash at London Southend Airport. No details on where the plane was heading or how many people were on board were immediately disclosed. In a statement on social media, the airport confirmed a 'serious incident' involving what it termed a general aviation aircraft. It later said that all flights to and from the airport have been cancelled until further notice, while police, emergency services and air investigators assess the incident. British media said it was a medical transport jet equipped with medical systems for transporting patients, specifically a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air heading to the Netherlands. Soon after the crash, images circulated on social media showing a plume of fire and black smoke emanating from the crash site. The plane involved is said to be 12 meters (39 feet) long. Witness John Johnson, who was at the airport with his family, said he saw a 'big fireball' after the plane 'crashed head first into the ground.' 'It took off and about three or four seconds after taking off, it started to bank heavily to its left, and then within a few seconds of that happening, it more or less inverted and crashed just head-first into the ground,' he said. 'There was a big fireball.' Johnson said that before the plane got into position for take-off, he and his family waved at the pilots and 'they all waved back at us.' After the crash, Johnson said the airport's fire service responded straight away, with two fire engines sent to the crash site, followed by local police, ambulance and fire services. 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 (72 kilometers) east of the capital. 'We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours,' Essex Police said. The local member of Parliament, David Burton-Sampson, urged people to stay away and let the emergency services do their work. 'My thoughts are with everyone involved,' he said.
The Sun
13-07-2025
- The Sun
Chilling moment golfers run towards burning medical jet wreck after plane ‘dived to the ground' at Southend Airport
VIDEO footage shows a group of golfers running towards Southend Airport - as a plume of smoke billows from a crashed aircraft. Golfers at the nearby Rochford Hundred Golf Club were shocked by the incident at around 4pm today. 6 6 6 6 A medical transport jet reportedly crashed head first into the ground just moments after taking off. The nearby golf club was evacuated following the incident, with a bartender describing it as "a big heatwave" as he saw "a massive fireball" in the sky. Video footage taken from the golf course shows a group of shocked golfers racing towards a plume of smoke. One man can be heard yelling "F***ing hell, look. Look at this." He then moves closer to the scene, asking the others what has happened. A golf cart can be seen driving towards the incident. A huge cloud of black smoke can be seen in the distance. The Beech B200 Super King Air was reportedly set to travel to Lelystad in the Netherlands, with an estimated departure time of 3.45pm. It was equipped with medical systems for transporting patients, although it is unclear whether a patient was onboard. Witnesses described seeing a "huge fireball" at Southend Airport this afternoon at around 4pm, with Essex County Fire and Rescue called to the incident at 3.58pm. Fireball erupts after small plane crashes at Southend Airport as emergency services rush to scene They said the pilots of the plane had waved at children shortly before the collision. The twin-engined turboprop plane can carry around 12 people, although it has not been confirmed how many were in the plane at the time of the crash. London Southend Airport said in a statement: "We can confirm there has been a serious incident at London Southend Airport this afternoon involving a general aviation aircraft. "We are working closely with the local authorities and will be able to provide more information as soon as possible." A statement from Essex Police reads: "We remain on the scene of a serious incident at Southend Airport. "We were alerted shortly before 4pm to reports of a collision involving one 12-metre plane. "We are working with all emergency services at the scene now and that work will be ongoing for several hours." Essex Police have issued an update that they have opened a dedicated online portal and phone line for anyone with information. They added: "Flights at the airport were quickly grounded to ensure work could immediately begin on extinguishing the flames as quickly as possible. "We have put a wide cordon in place to ensure all our emergency service colleagues can carry out their work safely, and we will be doing so overnight and into tomorrow morning." 6 6 Chief Superintendent Morgan Cronin said: 'In these very early stages it is vital we gather the information we need, and continue supporting the people of Essex. 'Please help us keep our emergency lines open by using these specific channels if you're contacting us about this incident. 'We are working closely with all at the scene, as well as the Air Accident Investigation Branch, to establish what has happened today and why." Two fire crews from Southend, two from Rayleigh Weir and Basildon, and off road vehicles from Billericay and Chelmsford attended the scene. The East of England Ambulance service announced that they have sent four ambulances, a rapid response vehicle, four hazardous area response team vehicles, three senior paramedic cars and Essex and Herts Air Ambulance to the scene. All flights from Southend Airport departing today have been cancelled or diverted to alternative airports. Updates will be issued as soon as possible.
National Post
24-06-2025
- General
- National Post
Police divers recover remains of crew member in Quebec helicopter crash, three still missing
The Airmedic helicopter rashed around 10:30 p.m. Friday near Natashquan, Que., just over 1,000 kilometres northeast of Montreal. Photo by Ken Aiken Provincial police divers have found the body of one of the crew members aboard a medical transport helicopter that crashed on Quebec's North Shore last week. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES Enjoy the latest local, national and international news. Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events. Unlimited online access to National Post. National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Rescue crews found one survivor last week whose life is not in danger. Search efforts to find the aircraft and three other missing people are ongoing. The helicopter crashed around 10:30 p.m. Friday near Natashquan, Que., just over 1,000 kilometres northeast of Montreal. The helicopter was operated by Montreal-area company Airmedic. The company says it is in mourning and offered condolences to the family and friends of their fallen colleague. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
