NINE MORE BODIES could be found amid the wreckage of a plane which crashed on an English dual-carriageway, investigators fear.
Eleven people have been confirmed dead after a Hawker Hunter, a type of jet first developed in the 1950s, failed to pull out of a loop and crashed into traffic next to the Shoreham air show near Brighton. That number could rise as high as 20, but police are hopeful it will not.
The pilot, experienced aerobatic stunt flyer Andy Hill, remains in a critical condition in hospital.
Sussex Police assistant chief constable Steve Barry said the death toll could increase.
“The number of highly likely dead remains at 11, but may rise. However, we do not expect that figure to be greater than 20, probably fewer,” he said.
A crane has been brought in to move the wreckage from the road, amid fears bodies will be found.
*WARNING: This video contains scenes which may upset some*
The jet appeared to wobble slightly and lose height at the bottom of its loop before ploughing across the A27, a major road that runs along England’s southeast coast.
Friend and fellow pilot Neil McCarthy said that in Britain, Hill was one of only around six who flies a Hawker Hunter, of which around five remain airworthy.
“What Andy did is exactly what I would expect to see… it looked exactly the way it should be done,” he told the BBC.
“But so many things can go wrong: there can be bird strikes, engine failure, an engine fire, there could be all sorts.”
Steve Andrews was one of the first paramedics in attendance.
“It was a scene of utter devastation. The aircraft was still burning at the time, there were a lot of cars heavily damaged, debris all over.
Rules
Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority says it is going to tighten laws on air shows.
As part of the rules, Hawker Hunter aircraft have been banned from the shows, vintage aircraft will no longer be allowed perform stunts and the CAA will carry out a review into the rules.
With AFP reporting
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