The BMW involved in Sunday's horrific crash which killed eight people shot through the air like a low-flying aircraft.

A driver described how he escaped death by seconds as the black BMW flew towards him after shooting straight over the central reservation barrier on the busy A23 just north of Pyecombe.

He said: "It was like a low-flying aircraft coming towards me. I just put my foot on the accelerator and prayed."

A makeshift shrine of flowers and tributes has built up at the scene since the accident at 4.30pm on Sunday.

It was visited yesterday by relatives of the eight who lost their lives.

The witness described how he was driving north on the A23 when he saw the BMW take flight in the opposite lane. He watched in his rear-view mirror as the BMW crashed down on the road. It slammed into the Land Rover behind him at high speed.

The five people in the BMW - all in their 20s and from Crawley - were killed on impact as the car sheared in two.

The Land Rover Freelander's female driver, in her 20s, and a two-year-old boy died yesterday after a 24-hour fight for life.

One of her two male passengers was pronounced dead at the scene. The other remained in a serious condition today at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath.

Police have spent the past 48 hours counselling the relatives of the dead, who have not been formally identified.

One group was escorted to the scene by officers yesterday evening to add to the tributes.

Tearful, they hugged one another as they attached purple, white and yellow wreaths to road signs, accompanied by notes expressing shock at the deaths of so many people.

One bouquet on the southbound lane, fixed at the spot where the BMW veered over into the central reservation, read: "Mitch, I so want you to come back to me. I miss you, love dad."

Another card was signed by more than a dozen people.

A third tribute read: "Mitch, you were like a brother to me. We will miss you so much, all our love."

Others wrote: "Gemma, I will miss you so much, please do not forget me. Keep an eye out for me. Take care, princess."

"To Aaron, I will always remember the happy times, like when you kicked my thumb and broke it. Ha ha, all my love."

Beside the northbound lane, a bunch of chrysanthemums lay in the grass, placed by a police officer who was among many deeply affected by the crash.

The card read: "To those innocents that died in this most grotesque tragedy. I will never forget this day."

Police said there was no evidence to support accounts that the BMW had been seen earlier racing with another car.

Witnesses should contact the Operation Devonshire team on 0845 6070999.