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Germanwings crash victims' bodies arrive back in Germany 11 weeks after disaster
Germanwings crash victims' bodies arrive back in Germany 11 weeks after disaster
(about 4 hours later)
A cargo plane carrying the remains of 44 victims of the Germanwings crash home from Marseille, France has landed in Duesseldorf.
A cargo plane carrying the remains of 44 victims of the Germanwings crash home from Marseille, France has landed in Duesseldorf.
The MD-11 jet belonging to Lufthansa, Germanwings' parent company, touched down late last night at the German airport where Flight 9525 was supposed to land 24 March.
The MD-11 jet belonging to Lufthansa, Germanwings' parent company, touched down late last night at the German airport where Flight 9525 was supposed to land 24 March.
Parents and relatives of the victims, among them students from a high school in the town of Haltern, will be allowed to visit the coffins inside a hangar in Duesseldorf today.
Parents and relatives of the victims, among them students from a high school in the town of Haltern, will be allowed to visit the coffins inside a hangar in Duesseldorf today.
A convoy of hearses will then head for Haltern, passing Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium, the school the teens attended.
A convoy of hearses will then head for Haltern, passing Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium, the school the teens attended.
Authorities say the co-pilot of the Germanwings plane headed from Barcelona to Duesseldorf purposely slammed the Airbus A320 into a French mountainside.
Authorities say the co-pilot of the Germanwings plane headed from Barcelona to Duesseldorf purposely slammed the Airbus A320 into a French mountainside.
"The families are in denial. They cannot and do not want to realise that their children are dead," said Elmar Giemulla, a lawyer for families of 34 of the victims. "It will be brutal when they see the coffins, but it is necessary, because they need closure and that's only possible if they accept that their children are dead."
"The families are in denial. They cannot and do not want to realise that their children are dead," said Elmar Giemulla, a lawyer for families of 34 of the victims. "It will be brutal when they see the coffins, but it is necessary, because they need closure and that's only possible if they accept that their children are dead."
Flowers are left in front of the monument in homage to the victims of Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 in Le Vernet, southeastern France
Andreas Lubitz was deemed ‘unsuitable for flight duties’ for a period of time during his training with Lufthansa and was receiving regular treatment for depression, sources have claimed as investigators focus their inquiry on his personal life and background
People believed to be relatives of the deceased crew on Germanwings flight 4U9525 comfort each other at a reception centre in Le Vernet, France
Rescue workers gather with friends and relatives of those killed onboard Germanwings flight 4U9525 at a reception centre in Le Vernet, France
Flags representing some of the nationalities of the victims are seen as family members and relatives gather near the crash site of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps
German and Spain flags symbolizing some of the nationalities of the victims are seen as family members and relatives gather for a ceremony in Le Vernet near the crash site of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Flags symbolizing some of the nationalities of the victims, are seen near the memorial stele in Le Vernet during a ceremony to pay tribute to the victims of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps
French gendarmes and investigators make their way through debris from wreckage on the mountainside at the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
French gendarmes and investigators work amongst the debris of the Airbus A320 at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
French gendarmes and investigators make their way through the debris of the Airbus A320 at the site of the crash near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
Wreckage of the Airbus A320 is seen at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
A body of a victim is evacuated by a French Gendarmerie rescue helicopter from the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
Rescue workers recover bodies of victims from the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
French military personnel work amongst the debris of the Airbus A320 at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
A helicopter of the French Gendarmerie flies over the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps, above the town of Seyne-les-Alpes, southeastern France
Search and rescue workers make their way through debris at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps, above the town of Seyne-les-Alpes, southeastern France
Flowers and lit candles are placed on the ground in Cologne Bonn airport
Reuters
Victims’ relatives join carers outside the school gym in Seyne
Getty Images
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, left, and Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann arrive for a press conference near the Germanwings headquarters in Cologne, Germany
Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot that crashed the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
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Buses loaded with relatives of victims are escorted after their arrival at Marseille airport, southern France
Family and relatives of the victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the Alps are taken on bus to the Prat airport from a hotel in Castelldefels in Barcelona, Spain, to take a Lufthansa flight to visit the crash site in Seyne les Alps in France
An Airbus plane of German airline Lufthansa carrying onboard relatives of the Germanwings plane crash victims takes off from the Duesseldorf airport in Duesseldorf, western Germany, en route to Marseille
A Germanwings employee places flowers in commemoration of the victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps, at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
Members of German Government Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, from right, hold a minute of silence to commemorate the victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany
Realtives of passengers of the Germanwings airliner that crashed in the French Alps leave the Gran Hotel Rey Don Jaime towards Barcelona El Prat airport where a lufthansa plane will fly to Marseille, in Barcelona, Spain
Olivier Cousin (R), director of the mountain rescue team, which is responsible for the safety of the emergency workers on site, gives an interview in Seyne Les Alpes, France
Alpine climbers take off in a police helicopter in Seyne Les Alpes
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L), French President Francois Hollande (C) and Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy pay respect to victims in front of the mountain in Seyne-les-Alpes, the day after the air crash of a Germanwings Airbus A320
A member of the search and rescue personnel stands at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Search and rescue personnel at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Reuters
A sealed container holds black box from the German Airbus operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget Airbus A320 crash
The voice data recorder of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed in the French Alps
The voice data recorder of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed in the French Alps
Germanwings employees cry as they place flowers and lit candles outside the company headquarters in Cologne Bonn airport
A student who knew some of the German students involved in a crashed plane, reacts during a minute of silence in front of the council building in Llinars del Valles, near Barcelona, Spain
Photograph of victims, flowers and candles stand outside the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium high school where pupils had gathered to pay tribute to 16 students and two teachers from the school who were on Germanwings flight 4U9525 that crashed yesterday in southern France on March 25, 2015 in Haltern, Germany
Pupils gather at the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium high school to pay tribute to 16 students and two teachers from the school who were on Germanwings flight 4U9525 that crashed yesterday in southern France in Haltern, Germany
Students gather in front of the Josef-König secondary school in Haltern am See, western Germany, where some of the Germanwings plane crash victims studied
Getty Images
A Lufthansa employee signs in a condolence book in Frankfurt, Germany
The flags of (L-R) Aragon, Spain and the European Union are lowered to half-mast at the Regional Assembly of Aragon in Zaragoza, Spain, as a sign of respect for the victims of the German plane crash in the French Alps
The German and the European Union flags hang at half mast in memory of the victims of the plane crash in France in front of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin, Germany
French President François Hollande with Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia pay their respects to the victims of the German plane crash in the French Alps
Reuters
Debris from the Germanwings Airbus A320 at the crash site in the French Alps above the southeastern town of Seyne
Getty Images
Search and rescue personnel at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Getty Images
Wreckage and debris lie on the mountain slopes after the crash of the Germanwings Airbus A320 over the French Alps
EPA
Staff members of Germanwings and Lufthansa hold a candlelight vigil outside their headquarters in Cologne
Getty Images
A photo provided by the French Gendarmerie shows the crash site in the French Alps
A rescue helicopter from the French Gendarmerie flies over the French Alps, as day fades into night near to the crash site of the Airbus A320
Reuters
A general view of the crash site of a Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps above Seyne-les-Alpes is pictured in this photo provided by the French Gendarmerie
Family members of people involved in a crashed plane arrives at the Barcelona airport in Spain
AP/Emilio Morenatti
Rescue helicopters from the French Gendarmerie and the Air Force are seen in front of the French Alps during a rescue operation near to the crash site
Reuters
A helicopter of the French National Gendarmerie is seen in Seyne, south-eastern France, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images
French emergency services workers (back) and members of the French gendarmerie gather in Seyne, south-eastern France, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images
An helicopter of civil security services is seen in Seyne, south-eastern France, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images
Relatives of passangers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrive escorted by police officer at Terminal 2 of Barcelona El Prat airport in Barcelona
David Ramos/Getty Images
Relatives of passangers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrive at Terminal 2 of Barcelona El Prat airport in Barcelona, Spain
David Ramos/Getty Images
Relatives of passengers killed in Germanwings plane crash arrive at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
AP/Frank Augstein
Police escort a family member of an aircrash victim at Barcelona's El Prat airport
LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images
French firefighters prepare to take-off in Digne-les-Bains for the crash site of an Airbus A320, in the French Alps
REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
A family member of a passenger killed in Germanwings plane crash reacts as he arrives at Barcelona's El Prat airport
REUTERS/Albert Gea
People arrive at a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers on Germanwings flight 4U9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf at Dusseldorf International Airport in Dusseldorf, Germany
Sascha Steinbach/Getty Images
People waiting for flight 4U 9525 are lead away by airport staff at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
A relative (C) of passangers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrives at the Terminal 2 of the Barcelona El Prat airport
David Ramos/Getty Images
A man who appears to have waited for the missing flight 4U 9525 reacts at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
AP/Frank Augstein
epa04676936 A man looks at a monitor showing a map released on the webpage 'flightradar24 with the exact point where the radar signal of the crashed Airbus A320 aircraft operated by German budget airline 'Germanwings' went missing near Barcelonnette, in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in Madrid, Spain
EPA
Giemulla's clients include relatives of the 16 students, who were coming home from a school exchange programme when they died.
Giemulla's clients include relatives of the 16 students, who were coming home from a school exchange programme when they died.
"Now, if the coffins are returning, the parents will know: This is really a fact, it's not just news," he said.
"Now, if the coffins are returning, the parents will know: This is really a fact, it's not just news," he said.
Most of the families in Haltern and beyond have been trying to cope with their pain in private, and many of the burials expected in the German town and nearby villages over the next few days and weeks will be family affairs. Remains of the rest of the victims, who had 19 different nationalities, will be sent back over the coming weeks. Nearly half of the victims were German and 47 others were Spanish.
Most of the families in Haltern and beyond have been trying to cope with their pain in private, and many of the burials expected in the German town and nearby villages over the next few days and weeks will be family affairs. Remains of the rest of the victims, who had 19 different nationalities, will be sent back over the coming weeks. Nearly half of the victims were German and 47 others were Spanish.
It has taken several months to return the remains in part because of errors on official death certificates that rendered them invalid. There were also challenges finding and identifying the remains in the remote area where the crash happened because the plane was travelling so fast that its tail slammed into the mountainside in a split second after the nose did, vaporizing much of the aircraft and its contents. Prosecutors in France and Germany believe Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally crashed the Airbus A320. They say he had been hiding psychological problems from his employer.
It has taken several months to return the remains in part because of errors on official death certificates that rendered them invalid. There were also challenges finding and identifying the remains in the remote area where the crash happened because the plane was travelling so fast that its tail slammed into the mountainside in a split second after the nose did, vaporizing much of the aircraft and its contents. Prosecutors in France and Germany believe Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz intentionally crashed the Airbus A320. They say he had been hiding psychological problems from his employer.
The office of Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, who is leading a French investigation into the crash, said he will meet with victims' relatives Thursday in Paris to go over the discovery of DNA evidence and explain the details of handing over remains.
The office of Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, who is leading a French investigation into the crash, said he will meet with victims' relatives Thursday in Paris to go over the discovery of DNA evidence and explain the details of handing over remains.
Robin expects 300 to 400 people to attend the closed-door meeting.
Robin expects 300 to 400 people to attend the closed-door meeting.
The family of two Australian victims, Carol Friday and her son Greig, won't be there, said her brother, Malcolm Coram. Coram visited the crash site about a month ago, and told The Associated Press it was simply too far to return again so soon.
The family of two Australian victims, Carol Friday and her son Greig, won't be there, said her brother, Malcolm Coram. Coram visited the crash site about a month ago, and told The Associated Press it was simply too far to return again so soon.
Coram said he wasn't sure when his sister's and nephew's remains will be returned to Australia, but he expects it will be sometime before August. He said family members have been happy with the way that Germanwings and authorities have communicated with them.
Coram said he wasn't sure when his sister's and nephew's remains will be returned to Australia, but he expects it will be sometime before August. He said family members have been happy with the way that Germanwings and authorities have communicated with them.
"We get treated very well," he said. "What's done is done for us - we just sort of want it to end."
"We get treated very well," he said. "What's done is done for us - we just sort of want it to end."
