Plane carrying 142 passengers crashes in France

A plane carrying 142 souls has crashed in the mountains of France this morning.

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by Ellie Hooper |
Published on

Germanwings flight A320 was travelling from Barcelona to the German city of Dusseldorf when it crashed in the southern part of France on Tuesday, officials have confirmed.

It was around 65 miles north of French Riviera city Nice.

The flight was operated by budget airline Germanwings

Local newspaper La Provence said that the plane had 142 passengers on board, along with two pilots and four cabin crew.

It is unknown at this stage whether there are any survivors, though French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says this is unlikely due to the location of the crash.

'The cause is at present unknown,' Valls told reporter, though flight radar data shows that the plane was descending at a rate of 3,000 feet per minute for the last ten minutes of its journey. It did not deviate from its course.

The plane crashed in a mountainous region, and rescue teams have now arrived in the area. Debris has been spotted from helicopters in the area known as Les Trois Eveches.

An image of the route the flight was taking

The French President, Francois Hollande, has reiterated the sentiment that it is unlikely any have survived.

'There were 148 people on board,' he said.

'The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, lead us to think there are no survivors ...

'The accident happened in a zone that is particularly hard to access.'

It is thought that most of the passengers were of German origin.

We will keep you updated with this story as it develops.

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