Haunting footage has been released showing the moment this afternoon that a plane crashed at an airshow in England, killing seven people.
The aircraft, a historic Hawker Hunter jet, performing at the Shoreham Airshow in West Sussex, plummeted to the ground when it failed to pull out of a loop manoeuvre, smashing into the A27 in a huge fireball.
The South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed seven people died as a result of the crash, while a casualty is being treated at the Royal Sussex County Hospital with serious life-threatening injuries and a further 14 people have been treated for minor injuries, one of whom this evening was released from hospital.
Visitors to the show were kept at the airfield until about 7pm before being directed away from the site.
Horrified onlookers described seeing the plane flying low to the ground followed by a “huge ball of fire and black smoke”.
Photographs taken by witnesses showed the burning aircraft ploughing across the road just yards from cars and a group of people, its canopy open and wing ablaze, engulfing traffic lights and roadwork cones and signs in a huge ball of fire.
Burning debris was also visible high in the air.
One eyewitness, tweeting as Jon B, said: “It (the plane) turned from the north by Lancing College, went to go low towards the airfield and went behind some trees below where I was.
“Then there was a crunch sound and a ball of flames and thick black smoke came up from the ground.”
It is the second tragic incident at the Shoreham Airshow in recent years.
In September 2007 James Bond stuntman Brian Brown, 49, died when he crashed a Second World War Hurricane after carrying out an unplanned barrel roll at a re-enactment of the Battle of Britain.
Tomorrow’s air show has been cancelled, organisers said.
