Passenger Plane Crashes in Southern France, 148 Feared Dead
A Germanwings commercial jet flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf reportedly crashed in Southern France Tuesday morning. Early reports indicate no survivors are expected.
The Airbus A320 sent out a distress call about midway through the flight, though there is no indication what caused the crash. The jet carried 142 passengers, two pilots, and four crew members.
“The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, lead us to think there are no survivors,” said French President Francoise Hollande.
Je veux exprimer aux familles des victimes de cet accident aérien toute ma solidarité. C'est un deuil, une tragédie.
— François Hollande (@fhollande) March 24, 2015
Rescue teams had been dispatched to the site of the crash. Early reports indicate debris has been sighted in a mountainous region that could make any rescue attempt difficult:
BREAKING: France's Interior Ministry says debris located in Alpine jet crash at 2,000 meters altitude.
— The Associated Press (@AP) March 24, 2015
Both Germanwings, an airliner owned by Lufthansa, and Airbus, the manufacturer, tweeted about the crash, though with little information. Neither company would confirm the crash yet:
INFO: We have recently become aware of media reports speculating on an incident though we still do not have any own confirmed information…
— Germanwings (@germanwings) March 24, 2015
We are aware of the media reports. All efforts are now going towards assessing the situation.
— Airbus (@Airbus) March 24, 2015
"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 1/2
— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) March 24, 2015
"…on 4U 9525. If our fears are confirmed, this is a dark day for Lufthansa. We hope to find survivors.“ Carsten Spohr 2/2
— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) March 24, 2015
This is a developing story. Mediaite will update it as more information becomes available.
[h/t BBC]
[Image via Frank Gaertner / Shutterstock.com]
