Police say four people died aboard a small plane that crashed shortly after taking off from London Southend Airport.

It is understood that the plane was bound for its base in the Netherlands when it crashed, killing four people who were all foreign nationals.

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.