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Airbus A320 plane crash: Germanwings flight down in French Alps with 148 feared dead Airbus A320 plane crash: Germanwings flight down in French Alps with 148 feared dead
(35 minutes later)
An Airbus A320 operated by the Germanwings airline has crashed in southern France, President Francois Hollande said.An Airbus A320 operated by the Germanwings airline has crashed in southern France, President Francois Hollande said.
The plane was travelling between Barcelona and Dusseldorf when it came down in the French Alps, according to the AFP News Agency. The plane was travelling between Barcelona and Dusseldorf when it came down in the French Alps around 100 miles north of Nice, according to officials. Mr Hollande said the site of the crash was "a very difficult area to access", and said that there were not expected to be any survivors.
Mr Hollande said the site of the crash was "a very difficult area to access", and said that there were not expected to be any survivors.
While the plane was believed to have a capacity of 174, Le Monde and local newspapers cited aviation officials as saying that 142 passengers and six crew were on board at the time.While the plane was believed to have a capacity of 174, Le Monde and local newspapers cited aviation officials as saying that 142 passengers and six crew were on board at the time.
French officials said that flight number 4U 9525 vanished from radar screens about 80 minutes after take-off, and that suspected items of debris had been found near the small town of Barcelonnette in the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provences. French officials said a police helicopter had located the crash site and first items of debris near the small town of Barcelonnette in the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provences.
Speaking on BFM TV, French Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said debris was found at an altitude of around 2,000 metres (6,500ft), and that the remoteness of the area meant "an extremely long and difficult" search operation was to be expected.
Screengrab from the flight tracking website Flightaware, appearing to show the path of the Barcelona-Dusseldorf flight Mr Hollande said there were likely to be a number of German nationals on board the flight, and that he would be speaking shortly with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.Screengrab from the flight tracking website Flightaware, appearing to show the path of the Barcelona-Dusseldorf flight Mr Hollande said there were likely to be a number of German nationals on board the flight, and that he would be speaking shortly with the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel.
"This is a tragedy on our soil," Mr Hollande said."This is a tragedy on our soil," Mr Hollande said.
The French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, said that details of the reported crash remained unclear and that interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve was heading to the region.The French Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, said that details of the reported crash remained unclear and that interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve was heading to the region.
In a statement issued on Twitter, Germanwings said it was still working to confirm the incident through its "own information". Germanwings is a low-budget subsidiary of Lufthansa, and in a statement the parent airline said it still "hopes to find survivors".
... Please monitor our website http://t.co/5mVrxAZ08K for periodic updates. Je veux exprimer aux familles des victimes de cet accident aérien toute ma solidarité. C'est un deuil, une tragédie.
CEO Carsten Spohr said: "We do not yet know what has happened to flight 4U 9525. My deepest sympathy goes to the families and friends of our passengers and crew on 4U 9525. If our fears are confirmed, this is a dark day for Lufthansa."
According to flight tracking website Flightradar24, the A320 reached cruising altitude at 10.27am CET (9.27am GMT), but started losing altitude shortly afterwards at 10.31am.
The French interior ministry said the plane was flying at just 6,800ft when it dropped off radar altogether at about 10.47am.
The A320-211 was 24 years old, having made its first flight in 1990. Airbus says there are currently 6,191 A320 aircraft in operation across the world.
On Twitter, Germanwings said it was still working to confirm the incident through its "own information".
It said it had "recently become aware of media reports speculating on an incident".It said it had "recently become aware of media reports speculating on an incident".
... Please monitor our website http://t.co/5mVrxAZ08K for periodic updates.
The airline requested the public "monitor our website" and said it would provide information as soon as it was available, though the website appeared to be down in the immediate aftermath of the first reports.The airline requested the public "monitor our website" and said it would provide information as soon as it was available, though the website appeared to be down in the immediate aftermath of the first reports.
Airbus told the Associated Press it was aware of reports of the crash but was unable to confirm any details.Airbus told the Associated Press it was aware of reports of the crash but was unable to confirm any details.
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