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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Shoreham air crash: Pilot 'fighting for life' | Shoreham air crash: Pilot 'fighting for life' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The pilot of a jet which crashed into vehicles during Shoreham Airshow, leaving seven people dead, is in a critical condition, police have said. | |
| It was possible more bodies could be found as searches continue, Supt Jane Derrick of Sussex Police also said. | It was possible more bodies could be found as searches continue, Supt Jane Derrick of Sussex Police also said. |
| The pilot was taken by air ambulance to the Royal Sussex County Hospital and is "fighting for his life", she added. | |
| The Hawker Hunter jet crashed into the A27 in West Sussex at 13:20 BST as it was completing a loop manoeuvre. | The Hawker Hunter jet crashed into the A27 in West Sussex at 13:20 BST as it was completing a loop manoeuvre. |
| "It is possible that tonight and tomorrow we are going to find more bodies at the scene," said Supt Derrick. | "It is possible that tonight and tomorrow we are going to find more bodies at the scene," said Supt Derrick. |
| Fourteen injured | |
| She said Sussex Police had received about 40 calls from people concerned their relatives may have died or been injured in the crash. | She said Sussex Police had received about 40 calls from people concerned their relatives may have died or been injured in the crash. |
| South East Coast Ambulance Service said seven people died at the scene. | South East Coast Ambulance Service said seven people died at the scene. |
| A further 14 people have been treated for minor injuries, one of whom this evening was released from hospital. | A further 14 people have been treated for minor injuries, one of whom this evening was released from hospital. |
| The A27 is currently shut in both directions and is not expected to re-open for the "next couple of days", police added. | |
| Supt Derrick also apologised to drivers who were made to wait at the airfield while congestion cleared. | |
| Earlier, Prime Minister David Cameron sent his "heartfelt condolences" to the families of those who died in the crash. | |
| 'Quite sombre' | |
| Eyewitnesses have been recalling seeing the plane fall and the subsequent explosions. | |
| Archie Tipple, a spectator at the event, said the mood changed very quickly when people realised what happened. | |
| "I was photographing the aircraft as it started its display and as it climbed and climbed and climbed I thought, this is pretty good. | |
| "..but he was coming in a little bit low and I was still photographing it as it came down and then all of a sudden you just knew what was coming, and it just immediately changed, the atmosphere, from a festive one to something quite sombre," he said. | |
| Shoreham resident Dave Penwarden, 51, said he saw the plane explode. | |
| "It just didn't seem to have enough speed to come out of the loop, instead of powering out it dropped too fast and hit the ground. | |
| "There was a massive fireball and an awful lot of smoke. Afterwards there was a stunned silence." | |
| Tim Loughton MP, who represents East Worthing and Shoreham, tweeted: "Tragic news that there have been fatalities at the Shoreham Air Show crash and our thoughts and prayers must be with the families and casualties." | |
| It is the second incident at the Shoreham Airshow, one of the premier airshows in the UK, in recent years. | |
| In September 2007 James Bond stuntman Brian Brown, 49, died when he crashed a World War Two Hurricane after carrying out an unplanned barrel roll at a re-enactment of the Battle of Britain. | |
| Hawker Hunter | |
| The Hawker Hunter was a mainstay of the RAF through the 1950s and early 1960s. | |
| First flown in 1951, the single-seat plane was used as a fighter, fighter-bomber for reconnaissance and for aerobatics. | |
| There was also a two-seat trainer version, which served with many other air forces. Two-seater variants are still used by the RAF for training. | |
| The Hawker Hunter was deployed in major operations such as Malaya and Suez. | |
| The plane was also flown by an RAF display team dubbed the "Black Arrows". |