An Airbus A320 passenger airliner travelling from Barcelona to Dusseldorf has crashed in the southern French Alps, in the region that’s home to the ski resort of Pra Loup, although the crash site is believed to be some distance from the ski area in a remote location.
Two helicopters from the local Vallée de l’Ubaye (pictured) are reported to be involved in crash site operations.
The Germanwings flight, a subsidiary of Lufthansa, had 150 people on board, none of whom are thought to have survived. It was supposed to arrive in Germany shortly before noon but was lost from radar just after 11am.
A statement received from Germanwings said:
“We must confirm to our deepest regret that Germanwings flight 4U 9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf has suffered an accident over the French Alps. The flight was being operated with an Airbus A320 aircraft, and was carrying 144 passengers and six crew members. Lufthansa and Germanwings have established a telephone hotline. The toll-free 0800 11 33 55 77 number is available to all the families of the passengers involved for care and assistance. Everyone at Germanwings and Lufthansa is deeply shocked and saddened by these events. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew members.”
Initial local eye-witness reports have indicated that the weather was generally good at the time of the crash, the plane was seen to fly very low over the town of Digne before it crashed.
Both the German wings airline and the A320 plane are reported to have very good safety records, it is the worst crash on French soil for 34 years.
