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Up to 200 Missing person calls after UK air crash

Up to 200 people have raised concerns over missing friends or relatives since the Shoreham traged...
Newstalk
Newstalk

19.56 24 Aug 2015


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Up to 200 Missing person calls...

Up to 200 Missing person calls after UK air crash

Newstalk
Newstalk

19.56 24 Aug 2015


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Up to 200 people have raised concerns over missing friends or relatives since the Shoreham tragedy, police in the UK have said.

Officers revealed they have been deluged with calls after Saturday's plane crash but their estimate of 11 deaths "remains in place".

No new bodies were found under plane wreckage moved by a crane on the A27 on Monday - but police warned the number of dead could yet rise.

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It comes as Sussex Police named a fourth victim - wedding car driver Maurice Abrahams.

The 76-year-old's family described him as "a well-respected and loved father and husband" who "enjoyed his work chauffeuring his beloved Daimler car".

Three other victims have been named: Worthing United players Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23, and personal trainer Matt Jones, 24.

Pieces of the jet are now be taken for forensic examination as the search for potential other victims continues.

Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry said: "As a result of lifting the jet, we have not discovered any evidence of further victims and our estimate of 11 highly likely victims remains in place.

"However, until we have fully completed the search of what is an extensive scene, I must caution that there is still the possibility that we may discover evidence of further victims, but I am not prepared to speculate on that figure."

A picture taken moments before the crash shows about a dozen people watching Shoreham Airshow from a former pub on the verge of the A27 - yards from where the plane came down in West Sussex.

The fate of those watching is unclear.

The pub - formerly the Sussex Pad - was bought by Lancing College, a prestigious boarding school for boys.

It is understood it is has been converted into boys' dormitories, though it is unlikely any pupils were there during the summer holidays.

The Civil Aviation Authority has said "significant" restrictions on UK air shows are now being brought in amid calls for changes following the crash.

Displays by vintage jets over land will be limited to flypasts, which means high energy acrobatics are banned.

Some 14 people were injured, with four taken to hospital, after the jet crashed at about 1.20pm on Saturday.

The task of lifting debris comes amid stories from survivors who drove through the fireball. 

Vivien Ayling, 64, was on the road in West Sussex when the 1950s Hawker Hunter aircraft crashed.

She told The Sun: "I saw it coming towards me, head-on. All I thought was, 'I need to get away fast'."

She drove through smoke and flames before stopping her Citroen to look back at the scene, and then driving on to work at a supermarket.

The A27 will remain closed for some days as recovery teams sift through debris strewn over 400 metres where the jet ploughed into the ground. The road will need major repairs.

The accident happened after the jet failed to pull out of an aerial loop in front of 20,000 spectators.

Pilot Andy Hill - a former RAF pilot and an experienced stunt flyer - survived the fireball but is in a critical condition in hospital.

He was pulled from the wreckage and it is not known whether he activated the ejector seat.

Although pilot error is one possible cause of the crash, investigators are also looking at the possibility mechanical failure was to blame.


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