On Thursday, at least seven people were killed when two planes practising for an air show collided in Slovakia.
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The fighter crashed when it failed to pull out of a loop maneuver and hit the motorway in a ball of fire that sent up a huge cloud of black smoke, to the alarm of the airshow audience.
Witnesses at the air show said the pilot of the Hawker had just taken off and was attempting to perform a loop when he crashed. It is believed that all those who lost their lives were on the road or in the plane itself.
Sussex Police said there are several casualities, but do not know how many or what condition they are in.
He said: “It’s too early to speculate but classic aircraft are a grey area and are a hard one to manage for the Civil Aviation Authority in terms of airworthiness, particularly with features like ejector seats, which may not be activated in older aircraft”.
Emergency services took calls from 40 residents anxious about those who may be involved in the crash. No one in the airfield was reported injured.
“The A27 has been closed in both directions and drivers are asked to avoid the area until further notice”. The plane hit the A27, a major road that runs along England’s southeast coast. Debris was visible across the road.
Ailish Southall, who was driving along the A27 in West Sussex with her two children, said the plane came down close to them.
She told Sky News: “The Hawker Hunter T-7 display was under way”.
“The plane was coming out of a loop-the-loop, it was fairly low”, he said. Fire, thick and black smoke have been seen according to photos posted on the Internet.
“Suddenly there was a big flash and flames and lots of smoke”.
A historic military jet crashed during an air show in the United Kingdom August. 22, killing seven people and seriously injuring an eighth, local police said. An investigation was immediately launched and Prime Minister David Cameron issued a statement sending his condolences to the victims’ families.
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A tweet from the official Twitter handle of Shoreham Airshow said, “There has been a major incident outside the airfield boundary”.
