A FORMER Worcester schoolboy has spoken of the horror of witnessing the crash at the Shoreham Airshow on Saturday, in which 11 people are believed to have been killed.

Anthony Corfield, a former pupil of Bishop Perowne CE College, was at the show with his parents and aunt on August 22 when the 1950s Hawker Hunter crashed into several cars on the A27 after performing a loop manoeuvre.

Mr Corfield, aged 29, said he had not seen the plane hit the ground as his view was blocked by trees but it was clear what had happened.

“The plane did a loop, was coming round the bottom of it and then vanished below the tree line in front of me,” he said. “Then there was a massive ball of fire and loads of smoke and then a horrible silence across the busy air field.

“I knew it had crashed obviously but I wasn't sure where.

“I knew the road was close. The announcement suggested it was on the access road to the airport.

“Then we heard someone run past with a radio and mentioned a fatality.”

Mr Corfield – who now lives in Cardiff but grew up in Flag Meadow Walk, where his parents still live today – said an announcement had been made that the show was suspended and he and his family decided to leave.

“Once we'd heard about the deaths and I'd seen on Twitter that potentially cyclists had been hit we decided to leave,” he said.

“We were the last out of the gate before they stopped anyone else from leaving.

“Otherwise we would have been stuck there for ages."

Although a final death toll in the crash is yet to be determined, investigators have said at least 11 people were killed and 14 more were injured in what has been described as one of the worst air show accidents in years.

Among the dead were Worthing United footballers Jacob Schilt and Matthew Grimstone, both aged 23, and 76-year-old chauffer Maurice Adams, who was also a former soldier and police officer, from Brighton.

Personal trainer Matt Jones, aged 24, has also been confirmed to be among the dead while the plane’s pilot Andy Hill is currently fighting for his life in hospital. West Sussex coroner Penny Schofield has said identifying the remaining victims would be a “slow and painstaking operation”.

The Civil Aviation Authority has since announced restrictions on air shows and on the flying of vintage jets in the wake of the crash, while all Hawker Hunters have been grounded.

Although it is not yet clear why the plane crashed, some witnesses have said it appeared to come out of the loop manoeuvre too low.