At least 7 dead after vintage military jet crashes at air show in England

By Ralph Ellis and Ian Lee, CNN

Fatal stunt plane crash at airshow 01:40
Story highlights

•  The pilot survived but was badly injured, according to ambulance personnel

• The jet from the Cold War era was taking part in an airshow featuring vintage military aircraft

• 7 people died when the plane crashed on a road next to the airport near Shoreham in Sussex

Were you at the airshow? Share your images with CNN iReport.

Updated 2315 GMT (0615 HKT) August 22, 2015

(CNN)At least seven people are dead after a Cold War-era military aircraft taking part in an airshow crashed Saturday on a busy road in southeastern England, police said.

The Hawker Hunter jet was flying a loop when it nose-dived about 1:20 p.m. local time (9:20 a.m. ET) onto the A27, which police described as "a busy main road" adjacent to the airport near Shoreham in Sussex.

The plane struck several vehicles on the road, said CNN correspondent Ian Lee, reporting from the airport. The pilot was pulled from the wreckage and is in critical condition, ambulance personnel told CNN.

All the deaths are all believed to have occurred on the road, with no reports of injuries to anyone at the airfield where the show was taking place, the statement said.

Fifteen people were treated for minor injuries, South East Coast Ambulance Service said.

The airshow featured vintage military aircraft and was being put on by the Sea Royal Air Force Association.

Shoreham Airshow organizers said the Sunday session of the show will not take place because of the crash.

"Shoreham Airshow will not be taking place tomorrow because of the serious nature of today's incident," the airshow's website said. "We would like to apologise for the inconvenience this may cause, but we hope the public will understand our decision."

Authorities asked anybody with still or video images of the crash to contact them.

"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 airshow organizers said. "Do not send files, just contact details and information about the material you have."

About 2,000 Hawker Hunter single-seat jets were built in the 1950s in the Netherlands and Belgium, according to IHS Jane's Defense Industry. The plane's is about 46 to 49 feet long, depending on the model, with a wingspan of 33 feet 8 inches.