Hillsborough Witness Saw Sisters Crushed

Football fans have been recalling the moment they saw two sisters fall victim to crushing during the 1989 Hillsborough disaster.

Several witnesses have described seeing 15-year-old Vicky Hicks and her sister Sarah, 19, disappear beneath other supporters on an overcrowded terrace at the stadium.

Jeffrey Rex told the inquests jury he saw the two girls struggling as the crush intensified just before the FA Cup semi-final had begun.

"What I did see was that the eldest of the sisters, Sarah, was holding the younger one Vicki supporting her," he said.

"The young one that was being held by her sister appeared in a bad way. Her head was tilted to one side."

The teenagers were Liverpool supporters who had gone to the match with their parents, Trevor and Jenni Hicks.

They watched as footage of the family arriving together at the Sheffield ground was played at the inquest hearing.

They also heard in detail how their daughters became trapped towards the front of the Leppings Lane terrace as the crowd surged forward.

In a statement, Liverpool supporter Sean Fortune said: "People including myself were shouting to the police to help: 'These girls are in trouble. Can you do something?' It was very loud at this point and everyone was screaming and shouting. I could not move. The pressure was too much."

Witness Paul Hand told the inquest jury he had seen one of the sisters faint.

He said: "She didn't fall to the floor. The pressure of the bodies kept her up."

Vicky and Sarah Hicks were among the 96 fans to have died in the tragedy on 15 April 15 1989.

Their father, Trevor, became one of the most prominent Hillsborough family campaigners.

Inquests are currently being held in Warrington after the original inquest verdicts of accidental death were quashed in 2012.