No new victims were located Monday after the wreckage of a vintage jet plane that crashed on a highway was lifted, police in England said.
“Our estimate of 11 highly likely victims remains in place,” Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry said. “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.”
The plane crashed Saturday while performing at an airshow at Shoreham Airport in southeastern England. It struck the busy A27 highway, killing at least 11 motorists on the road and injuring at least 14 people.
Authorities said the pilot — who was, against all odds, pulled from the wreckage alive — is in a coma.
“Andrew Hill remains in critical condition,” police said in a statement released on behalf of Hill’s family. “He has multiple injuries and is in a medically induced coma.”
The jet wreckage will be transported to Farnborough for examination and vehicles and debris will be removed from the highway,” Barry said.
“After that there will a second phase of checking that we have accounted for all the victims and this will be followed by a thorough finger tip search of the area to ensure that we have recovered all of the forensic evidence,” he said.
Sussex police announced at a news conference Sunday that it was “highly likely” 11 people had been killed.
The identification process is requiring the help of the victims’ next of kin.
Authorities resumed the search for more possible victims two days after the military jet plunged from the sky and crashed onto the busy highway.
Meanwhile, people raised questions about whether an aerobatics show should have been held over a highway. The A27, running along parts of England’s south coast, parallel to the English Channel, is among Britain’s busiest.
Sue Grimstone, from Brighton, told the Daily Telegraph newspaper that the death of her son, Matthew, who was 23, had been “a waste.”
“Air shows should be over the sea,” she said. “It should never have been over that road.” All of those known to have died were on the A27.
Some people took to social media in an attempt to find missing loved ones.
The plane involved was a 1950s Hawker Hunter, which failed to pull out of a loop and plunged nose-down onto the A27 as a crowd, including children, watched in horror.
The Hawker Hunter was originally developed as single-seat, highly maneuverable jet fighter, though two-seaters were later built. Air forces around the world have used it.
Since Saturday, the UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has instituted a temporary ban on flights by Hawker Hunter aircraft.
Saturday’s show featured vintage military aircraft and was put on by the Royal Air Forces Association.
Shoreham Airshow organizers canceled the Sunday session of the show after the accident.
“Sussex Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch have asked that anyone with photographs or video footage that may help with their investigations should send their contact details to shoreham.aircrash2015@sussex.pnn.police.uk,” the air show organizers said. “Do not send files, just contact details and information about the material you have.”
