There’s no confirmation if the pilot was ejected or not before the plane hit ground.
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Ten fire crews and several medical evacuation helicopters attended the scene and Royal Sussex County Hospital declared a major emergency. At least 10 ambulances were sent to the scene.
All those who died were on the road at the time of the crash, police said, adding that it was possible more bodies might be found overnight and on Sunday.
Chris Blewett, 47, an off-duty paramedic from Worthing, West Sussex, was watching from a riverbank when the plane crashed.
The roadway, called the A27, just north of the Shoreham airport, is closed going both ways, along with the interchange at Lancing.
AKIF/Vantagenews/AKM-GSI A Hawker Hunter plane crashed into several vehicles after coming down at Shoreham Airshow in West Sussex.
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Eyewitnesses posted videos and photos online showing the fiery crash, including a YouTube clip here.
The pilot did not appear to deploy the ejector seat. A further 14 were lightly wounded and were treated on the road. Debris was visible across the road. A witness, Stephen Jones, told the BBC that the pilot had just begun his display.
The plane is thought to have been a Hawker Hunter that was taking part in a display this afternoon. “There was a ball of fire, we didn’t even hear an impact, and then plumes of black smoke”.
Shoreham Airshow twitter feed reports: “There has been a major incident outside the airfield boundary”.
The Air Accident Investigation Bureau was at the site.
“We would like to apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, but we hope the public will understand our decision”, the group said.
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About 20,000 people were in attendance at the air show Saturday, according to Sky News. “Our thoughts are with everyone involved in the sad events of today”.
