UK airshow crash toll to rise as safety rules reviewed

A crane arrives on site as emergency services and crash investigation officers continue to work at the site where a Hawker Hunter fighter jet crashed onto the A27 road at Shoreham near Brighton, Britain August 24, 2015.[Photo/Agencies]

LONDON - The death toll after a vintage fighter jet ploughed into a busy road in southern England while performing an acrobatics display could approach 20, police said on Monday, as Britain began reviewing its safety procedures at airshows.

The Hawker Hunter plane, of a type developed by Britain in the 1950s, struck several cars on Saturday on the major road next to Shoreham airport near Brighton, where the show was taking place.

The crash was the third - and by far the most deadly - at the event since 2007.

Police said on Sunday they feared 11 people had died. A senior officer said that figure was likely to rise as police gained access to more areas of the accident scene.

"It's too early to tell but I'd be surprised if (the death toll) doesn't go above 11," Sussex Police Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry was quoted as telling the BBC.

"If it would be below 20 then that would be probably the best estimate that I could give you at this stage."

In 2007, a pilot was killed at Shoreham after his World War Two Hurricane aircraft crashed just north of the same road and three years later a stunt glider pilot survived a crash there.

The Royal Air Forces Association, which helps organise the show, said on Monday that the team running the event had many years' experience nationally and needed to meet tough safety standards set by Britain's air transport regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).