Passenger Plane Crashes In Southern France

A passenger plane has crashed in France, with all 148 people on board thought to have died.

The Airbus A320, operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline, came down in the southern French Alps between Barcelonnette and Digne.

Flight 4U 9525 was en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf.
France's President Francois Hollande said there were likely to be "no survivors" and that he expected a significant number of German casualties.

"It's a tragedy on our soil," he said.

"There were 148 people on board. The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, lead us to think there are no survivors."
France's Interior Ministry said debris had been located at an altitude of 2,000 metres.

Eric Ciotti, the head of the regional council, said search-and-rescue teams were on the way to the crash site at Meolans-Revels.It's a tragedy on our soil," he said.

"There were 148 people on board. The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, lead us to think there are no survivors."
France's Interior Ministry said debris had been located at an altitude of 2,000 metres.

Eric Ciotti, the head of the regional council, said search-and-rescue teams were on the way to the crash site at Meolans-Revels.

A total of 142 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew, were on board the plane.

The country's Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the causes of the crash were not yet known.
He said he had activated the ministerial crisis cell to help coordinate the aftermath of the crash. He added that he had sent Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to the site.
Lufthansa wrote on its Twitter page: "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. We hope to find survivors."
Germanwings says it cannot confirm the reports. Airbus says it is "assessing" the situation.
Captain Mike Vivian, former Head of Flight Operations at the Civil Aviation Authority, told Sky News the A320 had a relatively good safety record.

“German Wings is a very competent company given it is owned by the main German flag-carrier and it flies basically short-haul routes," he said.

“The Airbus A320 is a successful aeroplane and has been around for over 20 years.