The plane, operated by the Germanwings airline, was lost to radar screens about an hour and a half after takeoff

Mar 24, 2015 12:59 GMT  ·  By

Earlier today, an Airbus A320 plane operated by a low-cost airline wholly owned by air travel giant Lufthansa crashed in the French Alps while flying from Barcelona, Spain, to Düsseldorf, Germany.

The Germanwings aircraft left Barcelona at 08:55 GMT. About an hour and a half later, it disappeared from radar screens. It is understood that, before crashing, the plane sent a distress signal.

When leaving Barcelona, the Airbus A320 was carrying 142 passengers and a crew of 8. For the time being, it is unclear why the plane sent this distress signal and crashed just a few minutes later.

The passengers and the crew are all feared dead

Since the crash only happened a few hours ago, it is unclear whether or not there were any survivors. Still, in an interview with the press, French President Francois Hollande and French Prime Minister Manuel Valls both suggested that the passengers and the crew most likely all died on impact.

“The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, lead us to think there are no survivors,” French President Francois Hollande said in a statement, as cited by Air Live.

Having left the city of Barcelona in Spain, the Germanwings-operated Airbus A320 maintained a steady flight altitude for over an hour. At one point, however, it dropped to the ground for reasons still unknown and was lost to radar screens.

The aircraft is said to have plummeted to the ground in France's Digne region, some 100 kilometers (65 miles) from the city of Nice. Rescue teams and authorities are now on their way to the crash site. More information should soon be made available.

Word has it that, of the 142 passengers that were aboard the Airbus A320 plane at the time it crashed in the French Alps, the majority were German citizens. The Germanwings aircraft was also carrying 2 pilots and 6 cabin crew.

Since the plane dropped to the ground in a remote region of France, nobody else was harmed in the crash. Still, debris from the jet appears to have been found close to Barcelonnette, a small town in this part of the country.

The cause of the crash remains a mystery

Air travel giant Lufthansa admits that, presently, the cause of the crash remains unknown. Apparently, the weather was just fine when the plane left Barcelona en route to Düsseldorf, and prior to departure, there was no evidence that the aircraft had any trouble.

“We do not yet know what has happened to flight 4U 9525,” the airliner wrote in a statement issued shortly after the crash. Furthermore, “If our fears are confirmed, this is a dark day for Lufthansa. We hope to find survivors.”

The plane crashed in a remote region, passengers and crew are feared dead
The plane crashed in a remote region, passengers and crew are feared dead

Photo Gallery (2 Images)

Hours ago, a Germanwings flight crashed in sourthern France
The plane crashed in a remote region, passengers and crew are feared dead
Open gallery