Iran has launched hundreds of missiles and suicide drones at Dubai, and explosions have been heard in Saudi Arabia’s capital, as its onslaught across the Middle East continues after the assassination of its Supreme Leader.

Tehran has expanded its bombardment and vowed to unleash its ‘most intense offensive operation in history’, amid fierce warnings to back down from Israel and the US, and missiles striking the ‘heart’ of its capital today.

The revenge strikes follow confirmation from Iran that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed by the joint US-Israeli strikes, along with four of his family members and at least two high-level military leaders.

It comes as…

• Israel and the USA launched joint airstrikes on targets in Iran 
• Iran confirmed the death of its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
• Trump and Netanyahu urged Iranians to rise up and overthrow the government
• Iran launched retaliatory strikes at states across the Middle East, going after US military bases and other targets
• Trump warned the US would respond powerfully to further bombardment and that the operation could last weeks
• Iranian missiles and suicide drones continue batter the Middle East for a second day, with more states targeted

Multiple blasts again echoed around Dubai this morning and, in the last few hours, residents of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital, also reported hearing several loud bangs.

Explosions have been heard for a second day in Qatar, Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq, and in Oman for the first time, though most missiles and drones have been downed by air defences.

Iran also launched two missiles towards British military bases in Cyprus, UK Defence Secretary John Healey revealed this morning, where they ‘narrowly missed’ their targets.

Mr Healey warned that Iranian missile commanders are ‘increasingly allowed to choose their own targets’ as Tehran loses its ‘command and control’.

Iran claimed to have struck 27 US bases in the region, but has also hit a range of other sites including residential tower blocks and luxury hotels.

Yesterday in Dubai, Iranian suicide drones hit landmark hotel the Palm Jumeirah, as well as the iconic sail-shaped Burj Al Arab hotel, sparking panic among tourists.

Dramatic footage showed a fireball in the sky near the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, as a weapon was intercepted. 

The Dubai Media Office confirmed that debris from drones intercepted by air defences had fallen onto two homes in the city, injuring two people, and also caused a fire at the major Jebel Ali port.

Further videos overnight showed panic in a smoke-filled, debris-strewn terminal at Dubai Airport, which has been evacuated after four members of staff were injured.

A post on X read: ‘Dubai Airports confirms that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained.’

The UAE’s Ministry of Defence said that, as of late last night, 137 ballistic missiles had been launched by Iran towards the Emirates, of which 132 had been destroyed by air defences and five fell into the Persian Gulf.

It said it had also been targeted by 209 suicide drones, of which 195 were intercepted and 14 got through – with some making contact.

The Crowne Plaza hotel in Bahrain was smoldering this morning, with its owners reporting it had suffered an ‘incident’ but that all guests and staff were safe.

Bahrain’s air defenses responded overnight to ‘hostile Iranian missile attacks’, intercepting at least 45 missiles and nine drones, state media reported this morning.

An oil tanker was attacked off the coast of Musandam in Oman, according to the country’s maritime security center, injuring four people and forcing the entire 20-strong crew to evacuate.

One woman has been killed and scores injured in Tel Aviv, Israel, where a missile struck a residential block last night and attacks have continued this morning.

This morning’s continued bombardment around the Middle East comes as Iran confirmed the death of the Ayatollah after hours of denial, even after Donald Trump announced he was gone.

Khamenei, 86, was killed in the airstrike after Israeli jets dropped 30 bombs on the Supreme Leader’s compound. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump were reportedly shown an image of Khamenei’s body after it was recovered from his compound. 

His death comes after nearly 37 years as the Islamic Republic’s leader – sending the regime into meltdown and destabilizing the Gulf.

As well as Khamenei’s four family members, two high-level military leaders – Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, and commander of the IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour – were also obliterated in the strikes on Saturday morning.

Meanwhile, Israel announced it had carried out a fresh wave of strikes on Iran and struck the ‘heart’ of the capital.

A statement from the IDF said: ‘For the first time since the start of Operation “Roaring Lion”, the IAF [Israeli Air Force] is striking targets that belong to the Iranian terror regime in the heart of Tehran.

‘Over the past day, the Israeli Air force conducted large-scale strikes in order to establish aerial superiority and to pave the path to Tehran.’

This morning, Trump promised to strike Iran ‘with a force that has never been seen before,’ after boasts from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) about the number of American air bases attacked.

The president posed on Truth Social: ‘Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!’

A number of celebrities and influencers have been caught up in the violence, including Luisa Zissman, Petra Ecclestone and Love Island star Arabella Chi.

Branding it the ‘scariest, worst nights of our lives’, many spoke of how scared they were hearing the constant bangs overhead, while sheltering in their homes as the strikes rage on across the UAE. 

Israeli socialite Hofit Golan posted footage from her hotel balcony of rockets and explosions hitting the famous Palm Jumeirah hotel after she arrived in Dubai just hours earlier.

She wrote on Instagram: ‘After being debriefed from my flights as the skies closed above us. I came home to see the Palm filling up with smoke!

‘I can see rockets and explosions from my balcony! reports of other explosions being heard all over the city. Please stay safe, everyone,’ she urged.

Vicky Pattison shared that her and husband Ercan Ramadan are ‘safe and trying to stay calm’ amid the airstrikes.

The pair touched down in Dubai this week after flying on a lavish first class Emirates flight and just hours after sunbathing at the beach, the pair were forced to safety.

Iranian state media announced there would be a 40-day mourning period after Khamenei’s death, as the regime scrambles to kickstart the process of finding a new leader. 

This morning, Iran’s deputy foreign minister said that Donald Trump has crossed a ‘very dangerous red line’.

Saeed Khatibzadeh told CNN: ‘Of course, from a religious aspect, he was a great religious leader, so many of Shiite followers across the region and around the world are going to react to that, and this is very obvious because President Trump passed a very dangerous red line.’

During the official announcement of Khamenei’s death on an Iranian state news broadcast, the anchor wore black and stifled tears during the reading of a statement from the National Supreme Council.

‘God is great. God is great. With deep sorrow, it is announced to the nation of Iran that Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, was martyred today in a joint criminal attack by the United States and the Zionist regime,’ the anchor said in a clip posted on social media.

The Council described Khamenei as a revered religious Islamic figure, and said his ‘long dream of martyrdom became true.’ It was noted that Khamenei was killed during the month of Ramadan.

According to the statement, Iranians were mourning the leader’s death, and enemies of the country should note that ‘martyrdom will spark a massive uprising in the fight against oppressors’.

However, there have also been Iranians taking to the streets to rejoice the decapitation of the regime that has for decades ruled over them with an iron fist.

It has been deeply unpopular among some for the way it has enforced strict religious law, clamped down violently on dissent, and made Iran a pariah on the world stage.

 This is a breaking news update. More to follow 

Reform UK has unveiled plans for electoral reform, including a proposal to significantly restrict postal voting and remove the right of Commonwealth citizens to vote.

Nigel Farage claimed postal voting has turned the UK’s elections into a ‘laughing stock’, and that allowing non-British citizens to vote is ‘absurd’.

Currently, anyone eligible to vote in UK elections can choose to do so by post, but under Reform UK’s plans, this would be limited to the elderly, disabled, serving armed forces personnel and those working overseas during an election.

Under the proposals, Commonwealth citizens, who can currently vote in all types of UK elections if they qualify as residents, would lose their right to go to the polls.

A spokesperson for Reform UK confirmed the changes would not affect Irish citizens, who also have the right to vote in parliamentary elections.

The policy was born out of Mr Farage’s belief that allowing Commonwealth citizens to vote ‘undermines national sovereignty’ and leads to elections being fought over international rather than domestic issues, Reform UK said.

In 2012, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimated there were around 1.2 million Commonwealth nationals living in the UK.

Farage said: ‘For too long, postal voting has allowed our elections to be turned into a laughing stock, riddled with fraud, intimidation and outright cheating. It’s been allowed to go on for years and has poisoned trust in our democracy.

‘Meanwhile, allowing non-Brits – people with zero connection to this country – to vote on our future is absurd. It is right that only British citizens should be able to vote in British parliamentary elections.’

The announcement comes after Reform UK asked the police to investigate allegations of election fraud in the Gorton and Denton by-election this week.

Election observer group Democracy Volunteers warned it had witnessed ‘concerningly high levels’ of ‘family voting’ – an illegal practice where two voters use one polling booth and potentially direct each other on voting.

Farage promised to take action after the next general election if nothing is done about the allegations, adding: ‘If this is what was happening at polling stations, just imagine the potential for coercion with postal votes.’

Tory party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said allegations of family voting taking place in the Gorton and Denton by-election are ‘deeply concerning’ but branded Reform UK’s plans a ‘headline-grabbing’ exercise.

He said: ‘Rushing to impose sweeping bans on postal voting is a kneejerk reaction that risks disenfranchising pensioners, disabled people and overseas British citizens who rely on postal ballots to have their say.

‘We must safeguard our elections with proportionate, evidence-based reforms, not headline-grabbing measures that could lock law-abiding voters out of our democratic process.’

The Reform UK leader has frequently complained about postal voting when his parties have lost by-elections.

When his former party, Ukip, lost the Oldham West and Royton by-election in 2015, Farage alleged postal votes had been abused, saying the result raised questions about the conduct of elections in constituencies with large ethnic minority communities.

When his Brexit Party lost the Peterborough by-election in 2019, Farage again criticised the postal vote system.

The Brexit Party candidate challenged the result in court but later withdrew the challenge and was ordered to pay the winning Labour candidate’s legal costs.

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Iran has confirmed that Ayatollah Ali Khamenei died in joint US and Israeli strikes.

The Supreme Leader’s daughter, grandchild, daughter-in-law and son-in-law were also killed in the bombardment on his home in Tehran in the early hours of Saturday. 

The family deaths were reported by state media on Sunday, just hours before Iran’s military made a promise to lead its most ferocious counterattacks on the US and Israel in history.

Khamenei, 86, was killed in the airstrike after Israeli jets dropped 30 bombs on the Supreme Leader’s compound.

His death comes after nearly 37 years as the Islamic Republic’s leader – wreaking havoc for the regime, and destabilizing the Gulf in the aftermath.

As well as Khamenei’s four family members, two high-level military leaders – Rear Adm. Ali Shamkhani, and commander of the IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohammad Pakpour – were also obliterated in the strikes on Saturday morning. 

On Sunday, Iran started its retaliation by attacking 27 US airbases in the Middle East. 

In 1964, Khamenei married Khojasteh Bagherzadeh, the New York Times reported. The couple had six children: four sons, Massoud, Mojtaba, Mostafa and Meysam, and two daughters, Bushra and Hoda, according to the outlet. 

Khamenei’s body was found under the rubble of his compound following the attacks. He was believed to have lived there with his wife, children and many grandchildren, the BBC reported. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump were reportedly shown an image of Khamenei’s body after it was recovered from his compound.

Iranian state media officially announced the leader’s death early on Sunday. ‘To Allah we belong and to Him we shall return,’ the news agency said. 

An official 40 day mourning period was announced, as well as a seven-day national holiday in wake of Khamenei’s death. 

During the official announcement on an Iranian state news broadcast, the anchor wore black and stifled tears during the reading of a statement from the National Supreme Council.

‘God is great. God is great. With deep sorrow, it is announced to the nation of Iran that Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution, was martyred today in a joint criminal attack by the United States and the Zionist regime,’ the anchor said in a clip posted on X.

The Council described Khamenei as a revered religious Islamic figure, and said his ‘long dream of martyrdom became true.’ It was noted that Khamenei was killed during the month of Ramadan. 

According to the statement, Iranians were said to be mourning the leader’s death but enemies of the country should note that ‘martyrdom will spark a massive uprising in the fight against oppressors,’ the outlet reported. 

Trump had earlier confirmed the Supreme Leader’s death in a post on Truth Social on Saturday, adding that ‘one of the most evil people in History, is dead.’ 

‘This is not only Justice for the people of Iran, but for all Great Americans, and those people from many Countries throughout the World, that have been killed or mutilated by Khamenei and his gang of bloodthirsty THUGS,’ Trump wrote. 

‘He was unable to avoid our Intelligence and Highly Sophisticated Tracking Systems and, working closely with Israel, there was not a thing he, or the other leaders that have been killed along with him, could do.’

On Sunday morning, Trump promised to strike Iran ‘with a force that has never been seen before,’ after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced they had attacked nearly 30 US military bases across the Middle East.

The targeted attacks on American assets in the destabilized region are part of Iran’s self-proclaimed ‘most intense offensive operation in history,’ in retaliation for the killing of Khamenei.

Black smoke was seen rising from a US airbase at Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq at sunrise, after the IRGC promised their most ferocious counterattack. 

Trump, however, hit back in a midnight Truth Social post that read: ‘Iran just stated that they are going to hit very hard today, harder than they have ever hit before. THEY BETTER NOT DO THAT, HOWEVER, BECAUSE IF THEY DO, WE WILL HIT THEM WITH A FORCE THAT HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE!’

Israel announced in the early hours of Sunday that it had begun a new ‘strike wave’ targeting Iran’s ballistic missiles and aerial defense systems, after Iran launched drones and missiles at Tel Aviv, which were intercepted and shot down.

In response, the IRGC said it was carrying out a ‘sixth wave’ of ‘extensive missile and drone’ attacks on 27 US military bases. The extent of the damage is not yet clear.  

Meanwhile, jubilant protesters inside Iran were seen toppling a statue of the Ayatollah in the early hours of Sunday, in celebration after he was killed by the bombardment. 

It’s 2028 and you’re getting a taxi home from a night out. So far, so normal, the only difference is that this one is flying.

Sounds futuristic but it’s far from unrealistic according to Vertical Aerospace, which is aiming to have its taxis soaring across London’s skyline within two years.

The Bristol-based firm successfully tested its electric flying taxi above the Cotswolds last year.

Uber has slightly tempered its ambitions to 2030, although its partnership with Joby Aviation is set to bring flying taxis to Dubai already later this year.

It joins cities in China and the United Arab Emirates which harbour similar ambitions.

Uber’s chief product officer Sachin Kansal revealed he would be ‘very disappointed’ if the 2030 milestone wasn’t hit.

‘London is going to be a very high priority market,’ he said.

‘We know our users (there) would love a feature like this, which will help them escape a lot of the traffic and be able to get from their home to the airport within a few minutes rather than hours.’

How fast would a flying taxi journey be?

To put that in perspective, a 10-mile journey across central London could take as little as 10 minutes in a flying taxi – compared to in excess of 90 minutes during peak times.

‘To me, the number one advantage of being able to take that ride is time,’ Sachin explained.

‘Of course the aircraft itself is going to be an amazing experience, but being able to save an hour is going to be amazing.’

Joby’s electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft (eVTOL) will launch like a helicopter before tilting forward to cruise like a plane to travel at speeds of up to 200mph.

It will carry a pilot and four passengers, cover up to 100 miles on full battery, which takes up to 10 minutes to charge from empty.

And it won’t be priced beyond the means of ordinary Londoners.

How much would flying Uber trip cost?

Fares would be comparable to Uber Exec, the premium tier of the Uber app. In central London, a 10-mile Uber Exec journey typically costs between £50 and £70 depending on traffic and demand.

Like with Uber, customers will be able to book shared trips or an entire aircraft. They will travel via ‘vertiports’ — landing pads on rooftops, car parks, or repurposed helipads.

Under Uber’s model, passengers can take ‘stitched’ journeys where a car takes them to the ‘vertiports’ and another picks them up when they land for the final leg of their journey.

On top of this, they are significantly quieter than conventional aircraft. Joby claims their eVTOLs are around 55 decibels when flying overhead, roughly equivalent to a loud conversation in a restaurant.

So far, no infrastructure exists to accommodate eVTOLs – although not many ‘vertiports’ would be needed to serve London, according to Sachin.

‘My expectation would be that we would pick a few spots that give us enough coverage in the city as well as on the outskirts … which could be starting points,’ he said.

‘You just need a clearing to get enough angle to come in, you need enough space, and you need charging infrastructure. And all of that is very creative.’

What happens next with flying taxis in UK?

Joby is currently testing the taxis out in Dubai – which promises to be the guinea pig before the models expand to the US and then London.

Despite the ambitions, significant hurdles remain.

Before any commercial service can begin, aircraft must receive certification from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

The regulator must approve their safety, and operators must secure licences covering pilot training, routes, and maintenance.

Local authorities could also block the building of ‘vertiports’, especially if locals raise concerns about issues like noise.

Jonathan Nicholson, from the CAA, said we were ‘very close’ to seeing flying taxis ‘as long as it is safe we will seek to enable it’.

But there are also broader concerns over public confidence.

Autonomous cars have yet to be rolled out on a large scale in the UK. Until this is normalised, it remains to be seen how popular self-flying taxis will be.

Until these hurdles are overcome, the dream of beating London traffic by air remains just that.

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Iran’s representative told an emergency United Nations meeting that they have ‘one word only’ for the United States following the deadly airstrikes on Iran earlier today. 

Iran’s Ambassador Amir Saeid Iravani told America to be ‘polite’ at the emergency meeting following Operation Epic Fury, which saw airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear and missile programs. 

‘I have one word only,’ Iravani said, at the meeting in New York City on Saturday. ‘I advise to the representative of the United States to be polite.’

‘It will be better for yourself and the country you represented, thank you.’

US Ambassador Mike Waltz hit back at Iravani and said: ‘Frankly, I’m not going to dignify this with another response.’

‘Especially, as this representative sits here, in this body, representing a regime that has killed tens of thousands of its own people and imprisoned many more simply for wanting freedom from your tyranny,’ he concluded. 

The tense meeting saw Iravani describe the war against Iran as one against international law and international legal order under the United Nations Charter. 

‘This morning, the United States regime – jointly and in coordination with the Israeli regime – initiated an unprovoked and premeditated aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran for the second time in recent months,’ Iran’s ambassador said. 

‘This is not only an act of aggression; it is a war crime and a crime against humanity,’ Iravani continued. 

‘The invocation to ‘preemptive attack,’ claims of imminent threat, or other unsubstantiated political claims, are unfounded legally, morally and politically.’ 

The UN Security Council, charged with ensuring international peace and security is maintained, is comprised of 15 members, including five permanent members; China, France, Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

Other current members include Bahrain, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Greece, Latvia, Liberia, Pakistan, Panama and Somalia.

At around 1.15am on Saturday, the US and Israel began hitting Iranian targets to ‘dismantle the Iranian regime’s security apparatus.’ According to the United Nations News, the strikes do not meet the criteria of lawful self-defense and ‘constitute a violation of Article Two.’

In response, Iran said it will invoke, ‘without hesitation,’ the Charter’s Article 51 for its ‘inherent and lawful’ right to self-defense. 

But, Israel’s Ambassador Dany Danon said the attacks were an ‘act of necessity’ to put an end to an ‘existential threat,’ UN News reported. 

‘This is not the anger of a radical fringe,’ Danon said. ‘It is State-sanctioned hatred.’ 

Waltz equally defended the operation, and said: ‘This is a moment in history that requires moral clarity.’

Waltz claimed that the operation had ‘specific and strategic’ objectives in efforts to reduce missile capabilities that threaten allies, target naval assets used in international waters and disrupt machinery that provides militant weaponry. 

The efforts, according to Waltz, were to make sure that ‘the Iranian regime can never, ever threaten the world with a nuclear weapon.’

‘No responsible nation can ignore persistent aggression and violence,’ he said, referring to violent organizations in the Middle East, such as Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas, that Iran has supported, according to Waltz. 

He continued that the country presented a ‘grave and mounting danger’ as it continued to seek out missile capability advancements and nuclear goals. 

Waltz added that the Council has attempted to thwart this threat, including in resolution 1696 in 2006 that ordered Iran to suspend all uranium enrichment and reprocessing. 

However, Iran did not and the Council enacted resolutions 1737 in 2006, 1747 in 2007, 1803 and 1835 in 2008 and 1927 in 2010, which represented ‘the world’s collective judgement’ that the country posed a threat, UN News reported. 

UN Secretary General António Guterres slammed Israel and US for the strikes, as well as Iran’s counter attacks. 

‘We are witnessing a grave threat to international peace and security,’ he said. ‘Let me be clear: There is no viable alternative to the peace settlement of international disputes.’ 

Many top UN officials also condemned the attacks, including the High Commissioner of Human Rights Volker Türk, President of the General Assembly Annalena Baerbock and Director-General of the World Health Organization Tedros Ghebreyesus. 

‘The UN Charter is clear: all Member States must settle their international disputes by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and security, and justice, are not endangered,’ Baerbock said, UN News reported. 

‘I am deeply concerned about the current situation in the Middle East. My heart is with the civilians caught in the crossfire,’ Ghebreyesus added. 

By CHARLIE SPIERING, US POLITICAL REPORTER

Published: 14:46 EST, 28 February 2026 | Updated: 18:59 EST, 28 February 2026

Four people have been injured after a missile hit Dubai International Airport.

The Dubai media office said on Saturday the airport sustained damage due to an ‘incident’, as Iran continued to launch strikes on U.S. bases in the region.

They said: ‘Dubai Airports confirms that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained.’

The country, along with the rest of the Middle East, has been bombarded with missile strikes as Iran retaliates against the US-Israel’s ‘Operation Epic Fury’.

The two countries launched ‘preemptive’ missile attacks in Tehran, reportedly killing the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Other buildings in Dubai have been struck, including the iconic Palm Jumeirah resort which was hit by falling debris.

Smoke and flames were seen billowing from near the beachside Fairmont The Palm Hotel, after several bangs were heard by holidaymakers across the Emirati city.

Footage of the incident showed the five-star £245 million ($330 million) hotel engulfed in flames as air defence systems intercepted several Iranian missiles bound for targets in the UAE.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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A popular trainee police officer died by suicide after crashing his car into a tree at almost 100 mph, an inquest has ruled.

Louie Day likely died ‘instantly’ and was thrown from his vehicle when it crashed on the A414 near Ongar, Essex, in the early hours of September 5 last year.

Experts estimate that Louie was ‘probably driving between 96 and 99 mph’ when it collided with the tree, Essex coroners’ court heard.

At the time, the 23-year-old was training as a response officer with the Metropolitan Police on the East Area Command, based from Barking and Dagenham. He had been a PCSO for two years beforehand.

There were no witnesses to the crash, but a passerby found Louie ‘lying on the floor’ having been thrown out of the car, EssexLive reported.

He was sitting on, rather than under his seatbelt and suffered multiple injuries to his head, chest and abdomen, the inquest heard.

An inquest into his death at Chelmsford on Thursday February 26 heard that Louie had left a ‘note of intention’ before his death.

Michelle Brown, area coroner for Essex, said: ‘Louie Day from Brentwood died on September 5, 2025, on the A414 near King Street due to multiple injuries (head, chest and abdomen) sustained as a result of a road traffic collision as the driver and only occupant, leaving a note of intent.

‘The conclusion is one of suicide.’

Medical examinations found no evidence of drugs or alcohol in his system, the inquest heard.

A delivery driver saw Louie’s car shortly before the crash.

In a witness statement they said a car travelling towards them did a three-point turn in the middle of the road which seemed ‘unusual’.

‘After it turned round, it looked like it was speeding away. It must have been doing faster than 40mph,’ they said.

‘As I drove on I saw smoke and mist in the road and then saw bits of car and realised something had happened,’ the driver added.

In a statement, Louie’s family said: ‘It is with the greatest sadness that we announce the passing of our son, Louie Day, a beautiful soul who has left this world and will be greatly missed by all who loved him.’

Louie’s death is one of a number to have occurred on the A414 between Chelmsford and Harlow.

Work is ongoing to make the road safer and reduce serious collisions, including the installation of new average speed cameras.

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By ELIZABETH HAIGH, SENIOR NEWS REPORTER and OLIVIA ALLHUSEN, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER and KELLY LACO, US EXECUTIVE EDITOR, POLITICS and OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER

Updated: 12:11 EST, 28 February 2026

A cargo plane carrying wads of cash crashed moments after landing – sparking chaos as people flocked to the scene to try and cram their pockets with scattered banknotes.

The Hercules C-130 aircraft was ferrying newly printed Bolivian currency from the country’s central bank when it ‘landed and veered off the runway’ at an airport near capital La Paz.

Police said the death toll has now risen to 20, while more than a dozen other people were injured.

Footage posted on social media showed bodies among the debris strewn across the highway where the plane finally came to a halt.

But it also captured scores of people rushing there to pick up the money that had billowed out when it crashed.

Some clips show authorities firing water and tear gas to fend off the mob of scavengers.

More than 500 soldiers and 100 police officers were drafted in, according to official reports.

Police and military personnel burned the cash boxes in the presence of Central Bank President David Espinoza, who said the bills ‘have no legal value because they never entered circulation’, without clarifying what that meant.

Espinoza did not specify the amount of money being transported but he said the banknotes had arrived in Santa Cruz from abroad.

The El Alto International Airport was closed temporarily following the crash, national airline Boliviana de Aviacion said in a statement, adding the aircraft involved in the accident did not belong to its fleet.

Video broadcast on local media showed the aircraft was severely damaged, as were a number of vehicles along the avenue where the crash took place.

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