Shoreham air disaster: Floods slow air crash searches

The crash site is being thoroughly checked to ensure all victims are accounted for, police said

Searches at the Shoreham air crash site have been slowed down by heavy rain and floods, investigators have said.

The wreckage of the jet has been removed and the Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) is carrying out a final sweep for plane parts.

The police operation continues as officers remove vehicles and debris and forensically examine the scene.

The death toll is "increasingly likely" to remain at 11, Sussex Police has said.

An AAIB spokesman said investigators were scouring all the road and woods one last time to make sure all plane parts had been located.

He said the weather had slowed things down because rain had filled gullies and much of the area was flooded.

'No black box'

When the jet is examined at Farnborough, the investigation team will look for obvious signs of pre-impact failures, and check whether the plane controls are still wired up.

The AAIB has told the BBC there was no black box in this plane but other data might have been recorded.

Pilot Chris Heames, who has also flown in the Hawker Hunter involved in the crash, has briefed the AAIB on the aircraft and its safety systems.

The former RAF pilot said the aircraft was always maintained to the very highest standards.

"The last time I flew it was at the end of July and the aircraft behaved immaculately all day," he said, adding he did not understand how the crash could have happened.

"The air show rules that we fly to are very stringent and they are specifically designed to protect the public," he said.

Four victims of the crash have been named by their families or those associated with them.

The pilot Andy Hill, a close friend and colleague of Mr Heames, remains in a "critical but stable" condition in the Royal Sussex Hospital in Brighton.

More than 200 people had reported concerns for missing relatives or friends, Sussex Police revealed.

Several large sections of the Hawker Hunter jet have been removed

The vintage jet was part of a display at the Shoreham Airshow when it crashed

Illustration of the jet's final manoeuvre based on video footage of the event

West Sussex coroner Penny Schofield warned that identifying those who died would be a "slow and painstaking operation", saying it may take several weeks before investigations were complete.

Hundreds of officers have been working on the operation since the Hawker Hunter crashed into the busy dual carriageway alongside Shoreham Airport on Saturday.

What we know so far about the air disaster

Who were the victims?

Jet restrictions announced

'Like a bomb exploding' - eyewitness accounts

The air crash in pictures

After the jet was lifted from the scene by crane on Monday, Assistant Chief Constable Steve Barry said police still had to remove vehicles and other debris from the scene.

After this, a "second phase of checking" would ensure all the victims were accounted for, followed by a "fingertip search of the area" for forensic evidence.

Shoreham Tollbridge over the River Adur has become the focal point for tributes to the victims

Scores of people have left flowers and cards on the bridge over the past few days

Four victims have so far been named by families and friends

The four named victims include Matt Jones, 24, a personal trainer, was named by his sister Becky Jones on Facebook as one of the dead.

Jacob Schilt, 23, was part of Worthing United's Sussex County League Division Two championship-winning side last season.

And Matthew Grimstone, 23, played for Worthing United and was thought to have been travelling with Mr Schilt.

The fourth victim was former Hampshire police officer Maurice Abrahams, 76, who was driving a Daimler limousine to a wedding at the time of the crash.

Paul Sheen, father of the bride, Rebecca Sheen, said he and his daughter had expected Mr Abrahams at their Worthing home but he did not arrive.

During the reception someone saw an image of the wreckage of a Daimler limousine and the room fell quiet.

He said the family's concerns were now with the family of Mr Abrahams and all the victims of the air crash.

And he said: "Rebecca says this isn't about her. It's about the man who lost his life."

Maurice Abrahams was driving his "beloved Daimler car" when the plane crashed

Simon Stone and his family were 50m away, about to cross a junction, when the plane crashed.

"My girls are five and two and they are trying to come to terms with what they have seen," he told the BBC.

"It was the worst thing we have ever witnessed."

Tony Kemp, a nurse from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, who helped treat victims near the A27, said his medical colleagues were impressed with the "resilience and professionalism of the Red Cross volunteers" and others who had offered assistance.

'Disturbing sight'

Mr Kemp and off-duty doctors Marianne Jackson and Karen Eastman helped the British Red Cross with the "walking wounded" on Saturday.

He said: "This was a horrific incident and many people witnessed what was a quite disturbing sight and a much lesser number were more immediately involved in the aftermath at the crash sight."

In Shoreham: Simon Jenkins, BBC Sussex

"On Saturday the air was thick with the nauseating smell of burning jet fuel. That has been replaced with a sweet perfume of thousands of flowers and blooms on the Shoreham footbridge.

People continue to arrive to place flowers and stand in quiet reflection.

Perhaps the most poignant thing is that someone has bought and left a packet of drawing pins so others can pin up their own tributes.

It's really touched people locally and nationally.

One man paying tribute said: "It just goes to show that when something like this happens it brings out the best in humanity."

A minute's silence will be held before all Capital One Cup Round 2 matches on Tuesday and Wednesday as a mark of respect to all those who lost their lives, the Football League has announced.

A fund has been set up to support the people and communities affected by the disaster.

The Sussex Community Foundation has so far raised more than £6,000 through the Just Giving website.

Hundreds of emergency service personnel have been dealing with the aftermath

'Highly traumatised'

Father Jonathan Baldwin, a Sussex Police chaplain, supported officers working on the operation.

"It was a horrendous situation. It's not something you expect to go through at work," he said.

"A lot of them are very highly trained, but there were a lot who were [special constables] who obviously don't have the training of a full police officer."

He said they were "highly traumatised" as the disaster was not something they would normally expect to be involved with.

In response to the disaster, regulators have announced that vintage jets will not be allowed to perform "high-energy aerobatics" over land at air shows until further notice.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said such planes would be "limited to flypasts", and all Hawker Hunter jets have been temporarily grounded.

Mark Swann of the CAA said: "We have not had a major flying accident that has affected the public in this way since 1952.

"Safety is our absolute top priority - which is why we have grounded the Hawker Hunter and imposed significant restrictions and are carrying out an urgent and comprehensive review to look at all aspects of these flying displays."

A27 closure

The A27 remains closed in both directions between Lancing and Shoreham.

Highways England said it was unable to estimate a reopening time as it did not know the extent of the maintenance work required.

Road users are still being urged to avoid the area.