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Plane carrying 150 crashes in France; no survivors expected Plane carrying 150 crashes in France; no survivors expected
(35 minutes later)
BERLIN — An Airbus plane flying from Barcelona to Düsseldorf crashed Tuesday in southern France in a rugged mountain region, complicating efforts to reach the site even as officials indicated there were no signs of survivors among the 150 people aboard. BERLIN — Alpine crews and aviation investigators struggled Tuesday to reach the crash site of a German airliner that went down in the snow-covered peaks of southern France, leaving a wide debris field that yielded no signs of survivors among the 150 people aboard.
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. The Airbus A320 operated by Germanwings, the budget arm of German carrier Lufthansa, was traveling on a normal flight path from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, Germany, before suddenly shifting into a rapid and so far unexplained dive only moments after reaching its cruising altitude of 38,000 feet.
“It is going to take days to recover the victims, then the debris,” senior police officer Jean-Paul Bloy told the Reuters news agency. Within eight minutes, the plane had dropped to 6,000 feet and fell off French radar screens at 10:53 a.m. local time.
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. It then slammed into rugged mountain terrain near the ski resort Prads-Haute-Bléone, according to Germanwings chief executive Thomas Winkelmann.
Snow and lack of roads hampered efforts to reach the site in the foothills of the Alps, about 65 miles northwest of Nice. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said a helicopter landed near the crash site and reported no evidence of survivors. A local politican, Gilbert Sauvan, was quoted by Les Echos newspaper as saying the plane “disintegrated” and debris was cast over frozen mountain range at about 6,600 feet elevation.
Teams carried by helicopters raced to survey the site before an expected turn in the weather, with possible fresh snow blanketing the scene.
[Read: What we know about the Germanwings crash][Read: What we know about the Germanwings crash]
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said a helicopter landed near the crash site and reported no evidence of survivors. A local politican, Gilbert Sauvan, was quoted by Les Echos newspaper as saying the plane “disintegrated.” The cause of the disaster was not immediately clear. The pilots, airline official said, had not signaled French air traffic control before or during the plane’s sudden descent.
“It’s a tragedy on our soil,” said French President François Hollande, who was hosting Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia on a state visit. Despite initial reports of a distress call, France’s Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile said air traffic control had never received one. The weather at the time did not immediately appear to be a factor, officials said.
Germanwings official Oliver Wagner told German television that the plane carried 144 passengers and six crew members on board. Previous reports cited both higher and lower totals for passengers and crew. “It’s a tragedy on our soil,” said French President François Hollande, who was hosting Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia on a state visit at the time of the crash.
The Spanish monarchs cut short their visit to return to Madrid amid a pan-European disaster response. Reception and information centers for family of victims were set up in Dusseldorf and Barcelona.
Germanwings – which was still informing the family members – had yet to issue an official passenger list, which included two babies. But the CEO Winkelmann said 67 of the passengers appeared to be German nationals.
European officials also said at least 45 passengers were Spanish nationals, one was Belgian and an unknown number were Turkish.
The passengers included 16 high students and two teachers from Joseph Konig High School in Haltern, Germany, according to Bodo Klimpel, mayor of the town in the region of North Rhine-Westphalia. The students had been on a one-week language exchange trip in Spain.
“The sympathy we are receiving is overwhelming,” Klimpel said.
Germanwings official Oliver Wagner told German television that the plane carried 144 passengers and six crew members on board.
[Read: Just how safe is the Airbus A320?][Read: Just how safe is the Airbus A320?]
Wagner did not give a breakdown of nationalities, but many are believed to be from Germany and Spain. Airline officials said two babies were aboard. European leaders, meanwhile, tried to piece together the cause of Western Europe’s worst commercial air disaster in more than a decade.
Also among those booked on the flight: 16 high school students and two teachers from a school in Haltern, Germany, said Martina Klaus, a municipal spokesman. But neither an official at the school nor Klaus could confirm whether the group was on the final passenger list. In one hopeful sign for investigators, one of the plane’s flight recorders was located, said French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve.
At a news conference in Cologne, Germanwings officials said there were contradictory reports on whether a distress signal was sent, and investigators were closely studying records of the plane’s nearly eight-minute rapid descent before the crash. In Washington, a statement from spokeswoman for the U.S. National Security Council, Bernadette Meehan, said there was “no indication of a nexus to terrorism at this time.” A European intelligence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing probe, also said there was “no indication” of terrorism.
Germanwings, which is run by Lufthansa, changed its Twitter logo normally maroon and yellow to black and white shortly after the crash. “Our thoughts go exclusively to the victims and their families and we will work together with authorities and give our utmost to investigate and resolve the cause of the accident as quickly as possible,” Winkelmann said.
Hollande said German, Spanish and Turkish nationals were among the victims. The Airbus 320 a competitor of Boeing’s 737 was purchased by Lufthansa in 1991, and transferred Germanwings last year. Its last routine maintenance check, the company said, had taken place on Monday in Dusseldorf, with the last deeper inspection of the aircraft carried out in the summer of 2013.
“The accident happened in a very difficult to access zone,” he said. The Lufthansa airline group has a long reputation for strong safety and maintenance standards, but which in recent months the company been hounded by bouts of labor unrest.
The flight’s captain, he said, had more than 10 years of experience with Lufthansa and German wings, and had logged more than 6,000 flight hours.
Germanwings quickly changed its Twitter logo — normally maroon and yellow — to black and white shortly after the crash.
[Read: Ten major international airlines disasters in the last 50 years][Read: 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.” In a brief statement, a somber German Chancellor Angela Merkel said “we are uncertain about the direct cause of the accident and any speculation on the cause is not relevant.”
Felipe VI cut his visit to Paris short, and returned to Spain in the wake of the crash.
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.
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.”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.”
In Düsseldorf, family members were taken to building whose windows were partially covered by sheets to block the view of onlookers.
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.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.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.
Ohlheiser reported from Washington. Ohlheiser reported from New York. Brian Murphy in Washington contributed to this report.
Read more:Read more:
Ten major international airlines disasters in the last 50 yearsTen major international airlines disasters in the last 50 years
Just how safe is the Airbus A320?Just how safe is the Airbus A320?
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