STANDING just a few hundred metres from the devastating crash scene, Niall Ward saw the explosion and the fireball as the Hawker Hunter crashed.

The 49-year-old had been on a day trip visiting friends when they decided to go on a walk and ended up getting caught up in the tragic incident which is believed to have left 11 people dead.

Mr Ward, a qualified remote medic, said he remembers seeing the jet coming down at a “strange angle” before there was a “horrific” burst of flame and an explosion as it hit the A27.

They were just 400 metres away and after calming down a couple of nearby people, Mr Ward, a full time gardener, ran to the scene to see what he could do to help.

He said: “I have never seen something so bad.

“When I arrived at the closest area of the scene, just off the roadside, the fire service personnel were already there and doing a truly amazing job.

“The area I was in was so badly devastated that I was unable to save anyone.

“Praise to the fire service and the other responders that were ahead of me and first on scene who did such an amazing job in such a short amount of time in probably the worst scenario thinkable.”

Mr Ward, from Tunbridge Wells, Kent, said when it was obvious there was nothing he could do, he went to help bystanders who were in shock.

He said he will always remember the “courage” and “selflessness” of those who stepped in to help.

He said: “What I saw from people was something really commendable.

“There were people getting out of cars and comforting people and handing out water.

“You would have understood if people had just driven away – what I saw was tremendous courage.”

He added: “No words will help the families and friends of those who were lost at that horrible scene, but maybe to know that so many people at the scene that day did help where they could, may be something at this horrible time.”