A Germanwings* Airbus A320 has crashed in the French Alpes (Alpes-de-Haute-Provence), today, March 24th. The fuselage was spotted near Prads-Haute-Bléone, 150 kilometres (95 miles) to the north-east of Marseille.
The aircraft took off at 10 a.m. from Barcelona (Spain) and was due to arrive in Düsseldorf (Germany) two hours later. According to the French Civil Aviation Authority, flight 4U 9525 did not sent out a distress signal. The aircraft disappeared from radar screens at 10:40 am.
150 people were onboard the aircraft (144 passengers and six crew members). According to French President François Hollande, there are no survivors.
Emergency Rescue teams have been dispatched to the area, and the French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve is at the scene of the accident. The French Prime Minister has asked for an interministerial crisis team to be set up.
* Germanwings is a German low-cost airline, and a subsidiary of Lufthansa. Launched in 2002, Germanwings operates a fleet of 80 aircraft comprising : A319’s, A320’s and CRJ900’s.
