document: A top West German military official said Saturday that the fiery crash of a U.S. Air Force jet that killed six people will further erode popular support for national defense programs . In the city of Remscheid , fire brigade leader Berthold Hoehler said the body of a construction worker was pulled from the rubble of a house destroyed in the accident , raisng the death toll from the accident to six . Seven people hurt in Thursday 's accident remained in critical condition , he said . Later Saturday , at least 4,000 people took part in a torchlight vigil and procession in downtown Remscheid to remember the victims and to demand an end to low-level flight training missions . A U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II jet tore a swath of destruction through a working-class neighborhood in the central West German city of Remscheid . Rescue workers continued to comb the debris Saturday , as work crews tore down the remains of demolished houses . In an interview with the Welt am Sonntag newspaper , the inspector general of West Germany 's military said the crash was certain to have a serious impact on already sinking public support for defense issues . `` We are in a very difficult psychological situation , '' Dieter Wellershoff was quoted as saying . Wellershoff was referring to recent polls indicating dwindling public support for defense spending and increasing dissatisfaction over disruptive and often deadly military training maneuvers . `` I am alarmed that many West Germans have lost sight of the hard facts -LRB- of defense realities -RRB- in their hopes for continued peace , '' which hinge on West Germany 's and NATO 's security preparedness , he said . West Germany , a staunch NATO ally , borders East Germany and Czechoslovakia , thus putting it on the front lines of the East-West struggle . Wellershoff 's comments were to appear in the newspaper 's Sunday editions . The text of the interview was telexed in advance to other news media . West Germany 's skies are crowded with hundreds of jets and helicopters each day . A series of deadly accidents has fueled growing calls for a halt to or drastic reductions in low-level training flights . Even before Thursday 's fatal crash , 12 major accidents of military aircraft had killed 95 people this year alone . They included 70 people who died as a result of an air show crash at the U.S. base in Ramstein in August . Following the Remscheid crash , temporary suspensions of low-level training missions were ordered . The U.S. Air Force said in a statement Saturday that the pilot of the A-10 `` inadvertently flew into clouds '' while attempting to join in close formation with another aircraft . The Air Force statement , quoting Maj. Gen. Marcus A. Anderson , said the pilot `` then initiated a separation maneuver as is normal if two aircraft in formation lose visual contact . '' The statement said the lead aircraft climbed above the clouds , but that the second A-10 `` continued in a descent . '' `` We do not know why , '' Anderson said in the statement . West German military officials have speculated that the pilot may have become disoriented when he tried to climb out of the bad weather . Witnesses on the ground , however , have said they saw one of the jet 's two engines on fire before it crashed .
extractive_keyphrases: fiery crash fatal crash pilot military aircraft deadly accidents west german remscheid
abstractive_keyphrases: u.s. air force a-10 thunderbolt low-level training flights