Plane crashes in East London... but it's just a simulated accident (photos)

More than 220 emergency workers were called to tackle a plane crash near the River Thames in East London as part of a major exercise.

The simulated accident saw a disused mill reduced to rubble and a crashed Boeing 737 half buried.

The "crash site", involving London Fire Brigade, Specialist Urban Search and Rescue teams, Scotland Yard and London Ambulance Service, was one of their biggest ever exercises.

According to the Evening Standard, crash debris and working black box simulators were also placed in the water for the Met Police dive team to recover.

Real flames and smoke were also used. Workers were not told what type of emergency they would face, although local residents were informed before the "crash".

London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson told the BBC: "These sort of exercises are vital to ensure that rescue teams are fully prepared should something like this ever happen in London."

A spokesman for the fire brigade told MailOnline: "An exercise like this has never happened before. It's the largest exercise we've ever been involved.

"We like to do multi-agency exercises on a regular basis whether on this kind of scale or a bit smaller."

Four weeks were spent setting up the scene to make it as realistic and challenging as possible. Amputee actors and around 100 volunteers were used to play the role of injured people who needed to be rescued.

According to the Daily Mail, it cost £50,000 and a fire brigade spokesman said: "We managed to keep costs down thanks to many partners who donated their services for free."

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