The number of people killed after a jet aircraft crashed onto a busy road at the Shoreham Airshow in southern England could climb to 20, British police have said.

“It’s too early to tell but I’d be surprised if [the death toll] doesn’t go above 11,” Sussex Police assistant chief constable Steve Barry said.

“If it would be below 20 then that would be probably the best estimate that I could give you at this stage.”

• Australian resident killed in airshow crash
• Deaths after British airshow crash
• Planes collide at Swiss airshow, one dead

Eleven people are so far confirmed to have been killed in the crash on Saturday, when a vintage Hawker Hunter military jet failed to pull up in time after a loop manoeuvre and ploughed through cars on a busy road.

The crash created two fireballs that sent thick, black smoke billowing into the sky.

The pilot, experienced aerobatic stunt flyer Andy Hill, remains in a critical condition in hospital.

A crane was being used to move the plane wreckage late on Monday (local time).

“What that will uncover in terms of further recovery work is unknown and it’s possible that once the aircraft is moved that we will discover more fatalities,” Mr Barry said.

“The plane needs to be made safe. There are issues around fuel in the aircraft still and there is an issue around making sure the ejector seat is still safe.”

Hawker Hunter planes were a mainstay of Britain’s Royal Air Force in the 1950s and early 1960s.

The jet appeared to wobble slightly and lose height at the bottom of its loop before ploughing across the A27, a major road that runs along England’s south-east coast.

Friend and fellow pilot Neil McCarthy said that in Britain, Pilot Hill was one of only around six who flies a Hawker Hunter, of which around five remain airworthy.

Steve Andrews was one of the first paramedics in attendance.

“It was a scene of utter devastation. The aircraft was still burning at the time, there were a lot of cars heavily damaged, debris all over,” he said.

“Unfortunately there was not a lot we could do for the casualties in the cars.”

Two of those killed are ninth-tier Worthing United footballers Matthew Grimstone and Jacob Schilt, both 23.

Personal trainer Matt Jones, 24, has also been confirmed as among the dead.

– with agencies