Media reports say that Airbus A320 flight 4U9525, with 142 passengers and 6 crew members has crashed in Digne region, southern France. The jet, which belonged to Germanwings low-cost airline, was enroute from Barcelona to Düsseldorf.
RT report: The jet took off from Barcelona airport at 08:55 GMT, according to Spanish Airport operator AENA.
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The plane crash in the French Alps was confirmed by General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The jet crashed in the Upper Bléone Valley, Le Provence wrote. Emergency services are currently heading to the disaster zone. French Transport Minister Thierry Mariani said a distress signal was sent by the Germanwings plane, with other sources claiming that call came at 09:47 GMT.
France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve has confirmed the plane crash and is headed to the scene, local TV reported. He added that debris from the crashed jet has been found near a village.He added that debris from crashed jet has been found near the small town of Barcelonnette, a commune in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence,about 100 km (65 miles) north of the French Riviera city of Nice.
President Francois Hollande said there were no survivors among the 148 people on board, RTL reported. “There were 148 people on board,” French President Francois Hollande said. “The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, lead us to think there are no survivors.”He also expressed condolences to the families of the victims on his official Twitter account.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said there are fears up to 150 passengers and crew died in the crash, adding that the cause is not yet known.
“We of course don’t know the reasons for the crash,” Valls told the media. “We obviously fear that the 142 to 150 passengers and crew died today, given the conditions of this crash.”
Niamh Harris