- Title: FRANCE-CRASH/DUESSELDORF Germanwings Airbus crashes in France, 148 feared dead
- Date: 24th March 2015
- Summary: DUESSELDORF, GERMANY (MARCH 24, 2015) (REUTERS) PASSENGERS MILLING AROUND ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE SCREEN ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE SCREEN ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE SCREEN SHOWING FLIGHT FROM BARCELONA VARIOUS OF INFORMATION CENTRE AT AIRPORT VARIOUS OF AIRPORT CARE TEAM PARKING GARAGE VARIOUS OF RELATIVES BEING USHERED
- Embargoed: 8th April 2015 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- Country: Germany
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA8CZSCW2WGGNTODN0WT2J12052
- Story Text: Relatives of passengers on board a Germanwings Airbus which crashed in southern France on Tuesday (March 24) gathered at Duesseldorf Airport in Germany awaiting information about the crash.
The Airbus, operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline, crashed in a remote area of the French Alps, with all 148 on board feared dead.
French President Francois Hollande said he believed none of those on board the A320 had survived, while the head of Lufthansa spoke of a "dark day" for the German airline.
French officials said there were 142 passengers and six crew on board the plane which issued a distress call at 0947 GMT, about 52 minutes after take-off.
Hollande said there was likely to be a significant number of Germans on the flight from Barcelona to Duesseldorf.
It was the first crash of an airliner on French soil since the Concorde disaster just outside Paris in July 2000.
Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr said it would be a "dark day" for the airline if the crash were confirmed.
A spokesman for France's DGAC aviation authority said the airliner crashed near the town of Barcelonnette about 100 km (65 miles) north of the French Riviera city of Nice.
French accident investigators were heading for the crash site in Meolans-Revel, a remote and sparsely inhabited commune in the foothills of the French Alps. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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