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UK police: Fighter jet in airshow that crashed into busy main road 'likely' killed 11 people

Associated Press
Published | Updated

Emergency services attend the scene where seven people died when an historic Hawker Hunter fighter jet plane plummeted onto the major south coast road on Saturday, after failing to pull out of a loop manoeuvre, at Shoreham, England, on Sunday Aug. 23, 2015. Investigators and emergency services continue to search the scene of the Shoreham Airshow plane crash, police said. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT - NO SALES - NO ARCHIVES (The Associated Press)

Emergency services attend the scene where seven people died when an historic Hawker Hunter fighter jet plane plummeted onto the major south coast road on Saturday, after failing to pull out of a loop manoeuvre, at Shoreham, England, on Sunday Aug. 23, 2015. Investigators and emergency services continue to search the scene of the Shoreham Airshow plane crash, police said. (Daniel Leal-Olivas/PA via AP) UNITED KINGDOM OUT - NO SALES - NO ARCHIVES (The Associated Press)

British police say the death toll from an airshow crash is "highly likely" to increase to 11 people after a fighter jet slammed into a busy main road.

The Hawker Hunter single-seater fighter jet, which was participating in the Shoreham Airshow near Brighton in southern England, hit several vehicles on a nearby road as it crashed Saturday afternoon. Witnesses say the jet appeared to have plummeted when it failed to pull out of a loop maneuver.

The initial death toll was seven.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry of Sussex Police said officials were removing bodies from the scene Sunday and more fatalities may be discovered.

The pilot remained in critical condition in the hospital, and a crane will remove the jet wreckage on Monday.