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| Germanwings Airbus Carrying 150 Crashes in French Alps | Germanwings Airbus Carrying 150 Crashes in French Alps |
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| PARIS — A German plane carrying 144 passengers and six crew members to Düsseldorf from Barcelona crashed on Tuesday in southern France, the French civil aviation authority confirmed. | PARIS — A German plane carrying 144 passengers and six crew members to Düsseldorf from Barcelona crashed on Tuesday in southern France, the French civil aviation authority confirmed. |
| The wreckage of the aircraft, an Airbus A320 operated by Germanwings, a budget subsidiary of Lufthansa, was located by a French military helicopter near the town of Prads-Haute-Bléone, according to Eric Héraud, a spokesman in Paris for the aviation authority, the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile. | The wreckage of the aircraft, an Airbus A320 operated by Germanwings, a budget subsidiary of Lufthansa, was located by a French military helicopter near the town of Prads-Haute-Bléone, according to Eric Héraud, a spokesman in Paris for the aviation authority, the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile. |
| It was unclear when the pilots last communicated with air traffic controllers. About 40 minutes after takeoff, at approximately 10:40 a.m., radio contact with the aircraft was lost. | It was unclear when the pilots last communicated with air traffic controllers. About 40 minutes after takeoff, at approximately 10:40 a.m., radio contact with the aircraft was lost. |
| Shortly thereafter, air traffic controllers sent out an alert, as the plane descended rapidly from a cruising altitude of 38,000 feet while flying over the town of Barcelonnette in the Alpes de Haute-Provence region, French aviation authorities said. | Shortly thereafter, air traffic controllers sent out an alert, as the plane descended rapidly from a cruising altitude of 38,000 feet while flying over the town of Barcelonnette in the Alpes de Haute-Provence region, French aviation authorities said. |
| President François Hollande of France said many of the victims were German, but added that he believed that there were no French passengers on board. King Felipe VI of Spain said that there were Spanish and Turkish citizens on the flight. | President François Hollande of France said many of the victims were German, but added that he believed that there were no French passengers on board. King Felipe VI of Spain said that there were Spanish and Turkish citizens on the flight. |
| “The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, suggest that there might not be any survivors,” he said. He added that the authorities did not yet know the identities of the victims. | “The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, suggest that there might not be any survivors,” he said. He added that the authorities did not yet know the identities of the victims. |
| Mr. Hollande said he would be in contact with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and King Felipe, who cut short a visit to France on Tuesday. | Mr. Hollande said he would be in contact with Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and King Felipe, who cut short a visit to France on Tuesday. |
| The French president said that emergency teams were heading to the site, but that access was very difficult. He added that all information would be shared with the German and Spanish authorities. | The French president said that emergency teams were heading to the site, but that access was very difficult. He added that all information would be shared with the German and Spanish authorities. |
| “We must feel grief, because this is a tragedy that happened on our soil,” Mr. Hollande said. “I want to make sure that there have been no other consequences as the accident happened in a very difficult area to access, and I do not know yet if there were houses nearby. We will know in the next few hours. In the meantime, we must show support.” | “We must feel grief, because this is a tragedy that happened on our soil,” Mr. Hollande said. “I want to make sure that there have been no other consequences as the accident happened in a very difficult area to access, and I do not know yet if there were houses nearby. We will know in the next few hours. In the meantime, we must show support.” |
| Bruno Lambert, a mountain guide who lives in Chanolles, a tiny hamlet in the Prads-Haute-Bléone municipality, said the area of the crash was sparsely populated and had harsh mountain terrain. He said there had been heavy snowfall recently, and that the area was prone to avalanches. | Bruno Lambert, a mountain guide who lives in Chanolles, a tiny hamlet in the Prads-Haute-Bléone municipality, said the area of the crash was sparsely populated and had harsh mountain terrain. He said there had been heavy snowfall recently, and that the area was prone to avalanches. |
| “The mountains are very hard to access, there is no road access, neither in the summer nor the winter,” he said. “The people around here live in very isolated hamlets, and at this time of year, there is almost no one. | “The mountains are very hard to access, there is no road access, neither in the summer nor the winter,” he said. “The people around here live in very isolated hamlets, and at this time of year, there is almost no one. |
| “With these mountains, it is highly improbable that there are survivors,” he said. | “With these mountains, it is highly improbable that there are survivors,” he said. |
| A local official in the region, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said that an initial survey of the area by a helicopter showed that debris had been spread over a very craggy area. | A local official in the region, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly, said that an initial survey of the area by a helicopter showed that debris had been spread over a very craggy area. |
| The French Interior Ministry spokesman, Pierre-Henry Brandet, was quoted by The Associated Press as saying that crash debris had been found. He told BFM television that the search would be an “extremely long” and arduous, because the plane went down in a remote area. | The French Interior Ministry spokesman, Pierre-Henry Brandet, was quoted by The Associated Press as saying that crash debris had been found. He told BFM television that the search would be an “extremely long” and arduous, because the plane went down in a remote area. |
| Barcelonnette, with a population of less than 3,000, is the largest town in the Ubaye Valley. Situated on the right bank of the Ubaye River, it is surrounded by mountains and lies north of Nice. | Barcelonnette, with a population of less than 3,000, is the largest town in the Ubaye Valley. Situated on the right bank of the Ubaye River, it is surrounded by mountains and lies north of Nice. |
| The aircraft that crashed, an A320, is the workhorse of the Airbus fleet, with more than 5,600 of the single-aisle jets currently in service with hundreds of airlines worldwide. Last year, more than one billion passengers flew on jets in the A320 series — which includes a smaller version, the A319, and a stretched model, the A321 — according to estimates by Ascend, a London-based aviation consultancy. | The aircraft that crashed, an A320, is the workhorse of the Airbus fleet, with more than 5,600 of the single-aisle jets currently in service with hundreds of airlines worldwide. Last year, more than one billion passengers flew on jets in the A320 series — which includes a smaller version, the A319, and a stretched model, the A321 — according to estimates by Ascend, a London-based aviation consultancy. |
| Since entering into service in 1988, the A320 has been involved in 12 fatal accidents, according to Ascend. | Since entering into service in 1988, the A320 has been involved in 12 fatal accidents, according to Ascend. |
| “We are aware of the media reports and all efforts are now going towards assessing the situation,” Airbus said in a statement. “We will provide further information as soon as available.” | “We are aware of the media reports and all efforts are now going towards assessing the situation,” Airbus said in a statement. “We will provide further information as soon as available.” |
| Germanwings, based in Cologne, was founded in 2002 and acquired by Lufthansa in 2009. It has since grown to become the German flagship’s main operator for domestic and short-haul European flights from cities outside its main hubs of Munich and Frankfurt. The company operates a fleet of around 81 planes, of which about two-thirds are Airbus A320s and A319s. | Germanwings, based in Cologne, was founded in 2002 and acquired by Lufthansa in 2009. It has since grown to become the German flagship’s main operator for domestic and short-haul European flights from cities outside its main hubs of Munich and Frankfurt. The company operates a fleet of around 81 planes, of which about two-thirds are Airbus A320s and A319s. |
| French news reports said that if the deaths were confirmed, the crash would be the most deadly crash in France in 30 years, and the third most deadly crash on French soil. In December 1981, a chartered Yugoslav DC-9 jetliner, minutes from Ajaccio Airport in Corsica, smashed into a mountain, killing at least 178 people on board. To date, the deadliest crash in France occurred in 1974, when a Turkish Airlines DC-10 crashed outside Paris, killing more than 335 people. | |