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Plane carrying 150 crashes in France; ‘apparently no survivors’ Plane carrying 150 crashes in France; ‘apparently no survivors’
(35 minutes later)
An Airbus plane flying from Barcelona to Duesseldorf has crashed in southern France in a rugged mountain region. French President François Hollande said he did not expect survivors among the 150 people on board the flight operated by Germanwings, the budget airline run by Lufthansa. An Airbus plane flying from Barcelona to Duesseldorf crashed Tuesday in southern France in a rugged mountain region, complicating efforts to reach the site even as officials predicted there were no survivors among the 150 people aboard.
Germanwings, which has since changed its Twitter logo to black and white, tweeted on that the plane had 144 passengers on board, along with six crew members. The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, but data from flight trackers suggested the A320 went into a rapid descent before slamming into an area near a French ski resort.
Flight tracking sites show Germanwings Flight 9525 (4U 9525) in a rapid descent. French Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told the Associated Press that crash debris from the budget carrier Germanwings was spread across an area at about 6,600 feet altitude. Snow and lack of roads hampered efforts to reach the site in the foothills of the Alps.
Standing next to Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who were on an official state visit in Paris, Hollande said at 1:30 p.m. local time that he had mobilized police, civil services and the army, but said the difficultly of the terrain meant that it would be “another few hours” before they reached the crash site. He said German, Spanish and Turkish nationals were among the victims. Germanwings official Oliver Wagner told German television that the plane carried 144 passengers and six crew members on board. He did not give a breakdown of nationalities, but many are believed to be from Germany and Spain.
Previous reports placed the total number of passengers and crew slightly lower.
French President François Hollande said he did not expect survivors. “It’s a tragedy on our soil,” he said.
Germanwings, which is run by Lufthansa, changed its Twitter logo — normally maroon and yellow — to black and white shortly after the crash.
Standing next to Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, who were on an official state visit in Paris, Hollande said at 1:30 p.m. local time that he had mobilized police, civil services and the army, but said the difficultly of the terrain meant that it would be “another few hours” before they reached the crash site.
He said German, Spanish and Turkish nationals were among the victims.
“The accident happened in a very difficult to access zone,” he said.“The accident happened in a very difficult to access zone,” he said.
[Read: ten major international airlines disasters in the last 50 years] [Ten major international airlines disasters in the last 50 years]
Hollande said he had spoken to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, describing her as being “in extreme shock.”Hollande said he had spoken to German Chancellor Angela Merkel, describing her as being “in extreme shock.”
Felipe VI has cut his visit to Paris short, and is retuning to Spain in the wake of the crash.Felipe VI has cut his visit to Paris short, and is retuning to Spain in the wake of the crash.
The plane reportedly went down in an area of relatively low peaks, but set in remote terrain with few roads that could complicate efforts to reach the crash site. In a tweeted statement, Lufthansa and Germanwings confirmed that the plane “suffered an accident over the French Alps.” The airline has set up a hotline for families of those on board the flight for “care and assistance.”
French Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet told the Associated Press that crash debris was spread across an area at about 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) altitude. The aircraft sent a distress signal at 10:45 a.m. local time, he added.
[Read: ten major international airlines disasters in the last 50 years]
In a tweeted statement, Lufthansa and Germanwings confirmed that the plane “suffered an accident over the French alps.” the airline has set up a hotline for families of those on board the flight for “care and assistance.”
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew members,” the airline added.“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew members,” the airline added.
In a brief statement, a somber Merkel said “we are uncertain about the direct cause of the accident and any speculation on the cause is not relevant.”
She added, “Let me tell you please that this is a time and hour of great sorrow and grief. We should be thinking about people who have lost relatives and also friends.”
The single-aisle A320 is one of the world’s most popular aircraft, mostly used for short-haul flights. Airbus said more than 3,600 are in operation around the globe.
In late December, an A320 operated by AirAsia crashed into the Java Sea off Indonesia, killing all 155 people and seven crew members. Investigators believe the Singapore-bound plane stalled during steep climb to avoid harsh weather.
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Ten major international airlines disasters in the last 50 yearsTen major international airlines disasters in the last 50 years
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