The removal of the wreckage of the Hawker Hunter that crashed on a busy road during the Shoreham airshow did not uncover any more bodies, police said, raising hopes that the death toll may not be as high as previously feared.
Earlier on Monday, assistant chief constable Steve Barry said as many as 20 people may have died – nine more than had been thought. His estimate was based on the possibility that remains might be found under the jet. But when the wreckage was moved using a crane, the fears proved unfounded.
Speaking on a footbridge close to the crash scene in West Sussex that has become a makeshift shrine to the victims, Barry said: “There’s something of a positive. It [the death toll] won’t be anywhere near 20. Ideally it will remain 11 but until the site is totally secure I can’t say for sure. There have been no more families come forward.”
People continued to pour on to the bridge to leave tributes to the dead, the majority of whom have not yet been named. Those confirmed to have died were Matt Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23 and Worthing United footballers who were driving to a match, and Matt Jones, a 24-year-old personal trainer from Littlehampton.
Relatives of Daniele Polito, of Worthing, who was travelling home from work with Jones at the time of the crash on Saturday, appealed for information about his whereabouts, and urged friends not to jump to any conclusions.
The pilot of the Hawker Hunter, Andy Hill, is in a medically induced coma. His family said they were “devastated and deeply saddened for the loss of life”.
The West Sussex coroner, Penny Schofield, said identifying victims would be a slow and painstaking operation and investigations might take several weeks. “We ask for everyone’s patience and understanding over the next few days as the recovery teams carry out their work,” she said.
The Civil Aviation Authority said it was banning “high energy” aerobatic displays by vintage jets until further notice. Displays over land by vintage aircraft would be “significantly restricted” to flypasts only, the regulator said, and all Hawker Hunter aircraft would be temporarily grounded.
Hill, 51, a former RAF instructor and British Airways captain, was flying a 1950s Hawker Hunter when it failed to pull out of a loop-the-loop manoeuvre and plummeted on to the A27before bursting into a ball of flames.
Julian Bray, an aviation expert, predicted that the results of a full inquiry into what happened would not be known for several years. He said: “In this particular case, they will not only learn the lessons but there is going to be a huge investigation. The investigation will probably take a couple of years at least and then a very detailed report will come out.”
It emerged that Hill was selected to fly the plane last month. Another pilot, Chris Heames, had originally been listed in the airshow’s programme.
A statement released on behalf of Hill’s family said: “Following the tragic events at the Shoreham airshow on Saturday, the pilot’s family are devastated and deeply saddened for the loss of life and they send their prayers and heartfelt condolences to the families of all those affected at this difficult time.”
