A Sittingbourne photographer has described the terrifying minutes the Shoreham air disaster unfolded just a few hundred feet from him.

Ray Davidson was with friend Marcus Russell at the West Sussex airshow on Saturday when the Hawker Hunter jet crashed on to the A27 road - killing at least 11 people.

The 62-year-old and Mr Russell were standing at one end of the runway filming and taking photos of the spectacular aviation demonstration.

Video: Airshow visitors look on in horror as the plane crashes. Warning - video contains disturbing images

He said: “We had a real view of everything going on.

“The pilot took the plane into a loop and it appeared to be coming down towards us.

“It got to the top of the loop and then he seemed to make another manoeuvre but as he came out of it, it suddenly went quiet.

“That was the first moment we knew something was wrong - there was this silence as the engine just stopped.

“It disappeared behind some trees and then there was this fireball and a huge explosion.

“People were standing there gazing at it in surprise. Everyone looked horrified.”

Emergency services - including helicopters, ambulance vehicles and firefighters - arrived on the scene within minutes.

Crews treated 14 casualties on the scene, including the stricken jet’s pilot, Andy Hill, who was pulled alive from the wreckage.

Mr Davidson, of Langley Road, Milton Regis, has also praised the actions of “heroic” Mr Hill, as he appeared to deliberately swerve the aircraft away from crowds of spectators.

The airshow enthusiast added: “When the plane started slipping, it appeared he was turning to avoid the crowds.

“If he had bailed out of the aircraft it would have come straight down to where we were and I and hundreds of others wouldn’t be here today.

“He’s a hero.”

The number of fatalities is expected to rise today after police launched a massive operation to clear the wreckage of the jet, which stretches hundreds of yards around the A27.

The Civil Aviation authority has now confirmed it will hold a review into safety guidelines at airshows.