불운의 저먼윙 A320, 알프스에 150명 잠들다 Doomed Germanwings flight 4U 9525 was grounded over faults just 24 HOURS before..(VIDEO)
Doomed Germanwings flight 4U 9525 was grounded over faults just 24 HOURS before fatal crash in the Alps: Salvage operation resumes as Brits are 'likely' among those killed
Airbus A320 was carrying 144 passengers - including two babies and 16 German children - plus six crew members
Some British nationals are likely to have been on board the flight, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said last night
Spanish woman living in Manchester and leading opera singer who was travelling with her baby are among dead
German schoolchildren and two of their teachers were on their way home from nine-day exchange trip to Barcelona
Two Australian victims have been confirmed dead and two Japanese citizens were also said to have been onboard
Reports suggest the aircraft had been grounded just 24 hours before it crashed into remote region of French Alps
Several Germanwings crews - including pilots - refused to work following the accident yesterday over safety fears
One of plane's black box recorders has been found and will be examined immediately, says French interior minister
Search of crash site has been called off due to difficult conditions and is expected to resume tomorrow morning
독일 에어버스 A320에는 144명의 승객이 탑승하고 있었다.
2명의 갓난아기와 16명의 아이들을 포함해서...
그리고 6명의 승무원들 포함하면 150명
스페인 오페라 가수와 그녀의 아기
16명의 독일 고등학생들과 2명의 교사
2명의 호주 승객과 2몀의 일본 승객도...
알프스 산악지역이라 현장 조사에 어려움을 겪고 있으며
블랙박스는 발견되어 현재 사고 원인을 조사 중에 있다.
A320은 추락하기 전 고장으로 24시간동안 이륙하지 못했다.
한국인 피해자는 미확인 중이다.
Ki Chul Hwang 황기철
Conpaper Editor 콘페이퍼 에디터
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3010610/Doomed-Germanwings-flight-grounded-faults-just-24-HOURS-fatal-crash-Alps-Salvage-operation-resumes-Brits-likely-killed.html
By SIMON TOMLINSON and JOHN HUTCHINSON and GERARD COUZENS and RICHARD SPILLETT and FIDELMA COOK and DARREN BOYLE and STEPHANIE LINNING and HANNAH PARRY FOR MAILONLINE and DAVID WILLIAMS and RAY MASSEY and CHRISTIAN GYSIN FOR THE DAILY MAIL
The doomed Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 that crashed yesterday - killing 150 passengers and crew- had been grounded over technical fears just 24 before.
Helicopter search operations resumed at first light this morning in near-freezing conditions as British nationals are thought to be among those who lost their lives when the jet lost altitude and ploughed into a remote region of the French Alps, the Foreign Secretary.
The damaged black box and flight data recorder - which could unlock the mystery to why it crashed- have been found amongst the pulverised wreckage and may contain the last exchanges between the two pilots on board.
They are crucial, because experts are baffled as to why the crew did not send out a mayday or distress signal as the plane went into a terrifying eight minute dive.
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Victims: Marina Bandres Lopez-Belio, a 37-year-old Spanish woman living in Manchester and travelling with seven-month-old son, Julian, (left) and Oleg Bryjak (right) were killed in the crash, while it is likely that a number of British nationals were among those who died, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said
Australian victims: Mother and son Carol and Greig Friday, from Victoria, were among the 150 passengers and crew on board doomed Germanwings Flight 4U 9525
Victim: Opera singer Maria Radner who was travelling with her baby was among the passengers who lost their lives in the crash
Reports revealed the aircraft had suffered technical issues, including a landing gear problem, the day before it was due to fly from Barcelona to Dusseldorf and had been grounded.
Urgent safety checks are now being carried out on other A320s - popular with budget airlines- while passengers were left stranded at Heathrow, Stansted and Manchester yesterday after several Germanwings crews refused to work over safety fears.
Pictures have now emerged of those who died when the Airbus A320 crashed during the 90-minute flight from Spain to Germany.
Among the dead were 16 German schoolchildren, six crew and an opera singer who was travelling with her baby. Marina Bandres Lopez-Belio, a 37-year-old Spanish woman living in Manchester, and her seven-month-old son, Julian, also died.
Two Australian nationals, a mother and son, are among the confirmed victims. There were early reports that an American passenger was on board but this has not been confirmed.
Crash site: Pieces of debris, including what appear to be parts of the aircraft's tail fin and a wheel, are seen strewn on the mountainside
Wreckage: The registration of the aircraft, which features a German flag, was one of the larger pieces of debris photographed at the crash site
President Barack Obama expressed his condolences over the 'awful' crash which he called 'particularly heartbreaking' as so many of the plane's passengers were young.
A further two Japanese citizens were also believed to have been on board the doomed plane, Tokyo said.
Experts said Flight 4U 9525's rate of descent did not suggest it had simply fallen out of the sky – prompting speculation that the pilots may have suddenly fallen unconscious. As the French authorities appeared to rule out terrorism, it also emerged that:
- Five years ago two pilots from the same Germanwings airline nearly passed on landing in Cologne. Contaminated air was suspected;
- It is the third serious incident involving the Airbus 'family' in six months – two of them fatal crashes that have left more than 300 dead;
- A safety warning was issued last November after a sister plane of Flight 4U 9525 went into a dive over Spain, falling at 4,000ft a minute before the pilot regained control.
Disaster: A rescue helicopter flies over wreckage of a Germanwings Airbus A320 plane that crashed between the towns of Barcelonnette and Digne in the French Alps. All 150 people on board - including two babies and 16 children from the same German school - died in the crash
Destruction: The distinctive colours of the Germanwings plane are seen in this close-up photo of the destroyed rudder of the aircraft
Obliterated: Debris reportedly from the Airbus A320 is seen on the mountainside. Mystery surrounds the final moments of the plassenger plane after air traffic controllers claimed they received no SOS signal despite the jet nosediving 32,000ft in just eight minutes
Destroyed: Crews in the first helicopter to reach the site said they had seen no survivors and reported finding chunks of plane the size of a car
About 150 firefighters and mountain police were deployed to the scene, although officials warn it could take days to retrieve any bodies
Windows from the Airbus A320, a model of plane known as the 'workhorse of the skies', are clearly visible on this piece of debris
Photographs taken of the scene this evening show what appears to be sections of charred aircraft on the mountainside
All 142 passengers, two babies and six crew died on the morning flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, in Germany's Ruhr region.
The German pupils, from the small town of Haltern, were with two teachers. Others who were on board the flight included a 37-year-old Spanish woman who lives in Manchester – whose child also died – and the Spanish opera star Maria Radner, who was with her child.
Mother and son Carol and Greig Friday from Victoria were confirmed as the two Australian victims of the French Alps plane disaster.
The family of the pair released a statement on Wednesday, which said: 'They were both extraordinary and exceptional people who were loved by many who they loved in return. They will forever be with us in our hearts, memories and dreams.'
Last night one of the black box flight recorders that could hold the key to what happened had been recovered as more than 500 members of search and rescue teams worked to reach the remote site of the disaster above the small village of Barcelonette in the Massif des Trois Evêchés.
Pictures of the crash site showed debris - with no pieces larger than a small car - and wreckage scattered on the bare, bleak mountainside over an area said to be more than a mile square.
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German Foreign Minister, described the site as a 'picture of horror' while Christophe Castaner, deputy of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region where the jet crashed, tweeted: 'Horrible images in this mountain landscape. There is nothing left, but debris and bodies.'
Such was the disintegration of the 24-year-old jet yesterday that little appeared recognisable apart from a section containing several windows.
Images of the crash site emerged yesterday as confusion reigned over the final minutes of the doomed Airbus A320 after air traffic controllers claimed they received no SOS despite the jet nosediving 32,000ft in just eight minutes.
Part of the writing on the fuselage of the plane is visible on a piece of the wreckage (centre) on the mountainside
Four members of the search team are seen making their way to the crash site. The operation has now been called off for the night
Views of the crash site show a handful of rescue workers starting their work among pieces of debris scattered across the mountainside
Charred pieces of wreckage continue to burn on the mountainside alongside smaller pieces of debris
Parts of the plane, none larger than a small car, are pictured on the side of the mountain where the Airbus A320 crashed yesterday
Earlier reports quoted aviation sources in France as saying the pilots issued a Mayday distress signal and requested an emergency descent minutes before it hit the ground. However, civil aviation authorities later denied that air traffic controllers received any such call.
'The aircraft did not itself make a distress call, but it was the combination of the loss of radio contact and the aircraft's descent which led the controller to implement the distress phase,' a spokesman for the French civil aviation authority said.
One local spoke of hearing an explosion 'like dynamite' while another said he had seen the plane flying far too low. Sebastien Giroux said: 'There was no smoke or particular sound or sign of anything wrong, but at the altitude it was flying it was clearly not going to make it over the mountains.
'I didn't see anything wrong with the plane, but it was too low. I didn't see much, perhaps for two or three seconds … it seemed it was going down.'
Gilbert Sauvan, a local council spokesman, said the plane disintegrated on impact, leaving the 'largest piece of wreckage the size of a car.'
The weather was calm at the time of the accident with the sky completely clear, with almost no wind.
Bookshop owner Dominique Casson, 38, said: 'I heard a loud bang and then saw just smoke and flames at the top of the hillside.
'The plane came down so quickly there was no notice at all. There could have been even more loss of life if it came down in a more populated area.'
Bruce Robin, a prosecutor from Marseille, said: 'The body of the plane is in a state of destruction, there is not one intact piece of wing or fuselage.'
Germanwings chief executive Thomas Winkelmann said the aircraft began descending again shortly after it reached its cruising height of 38,000ft, having taken off from Barcelona at about 10am local time.
It started losing altitude at around 10.33am with the speed reportedly increasing to 548mph. The last reported radar returns had the aircraft descending to 6,800 feet at 434mph – eight minutes later – at 10.41am.
Scattered: Images from the first rescue helicopters to reach the remote crash site shows wreckage spread across hundreds of metres
Vast wilderness: An aerial view of the area in the French Alps where the Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed, between Barcelonette and Digne
A rescue helicopter flies over pieces of debris. The search operation has been called off for tonight as is expected to resume tomorrow
Mr Winkelmann said the captain was experienced and had been with the Germanwings' parent company Lufthansa for more than ten years, having clocked up 6,000 flying hours.
The plane, he said, had had a normal service at Dusseldorf on Monday and its last major check-up had been in the summer of 2013. It flew regularly to London and was there last Sunday.
Passengers reported seeing several Germanwings planes still stuck on the tarmac at Dusseldorf yesterday hours after they should have departed.
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr said Tuesday evening that he understood the crew members' sentiments.
'One must not forget: many of our Germanwings crews have known crew members who were onboard the crashed plane,' Spohr said.
'It is now more important to ensure psychological assistance if needed. And we will get back to a full flight operation as soon as possible then. But for me, this is rather secondary now,' he added. Yesterday, Heike Birlenbach, the airline's vice president told reporters: 'we say it is an accident'.
Aviation expert Chris Yates told MailOnline it was difficult to explain why the pilots would not send an emergency call.
'Air crash investigators will need to examine the black boxes, the flight data recorder and the voice recorder to determine exactly what happened,' he said. 'It is possible that the pilots sent a distress signal that was not received by air traffic control.'
Around 100 of the dead are German. Two Australians, and one person each from the Netherlands, Turkey, and Denmark were among the victims, according to their respective governments. Another 45 victims are Spanish and relatives were bussed to hotels near Barcelona's El Prat airport.
The Mexican government said there were indications that one Mexican national was also among the victims.
Two leading opera singers, German-born Maria Radner and Oleg Bryjak from Kazakhstan, were among those who lost their lives in the crash.
Ms Radner, who performed all over the world including the Metropolitan Opera in New York and theatres in Milan and Buenos Aires, was on the plane with her husband and baby. She had just finished performing alongside Mr Bryjak in the Richard Wagner opera Siegfried at Barcelona's Liceu.
Remote access: A rescue helicopter from the French Securite Civile flies towards the French Alps during a rescue operation near the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
Rescue helicopters from the French Securite Civile and the Air Force are seen in the French Alps during a rescue operation near the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
Members of the French gendarmerie gather in Seyne near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed
Rescue workers and gendarme gather in Seyne-les-Alpes as search-and-rescue teams struggle to reach the remote crash site. One of the plane's black box recorders has been found and will be examined immediately, France's interior minister said
| TIME (CET) | EVENT | ALTITUDE (FEET) | MPH |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:01 | Flight 4U9525 departs Barcelona for Dusseldorf | ||
| 10:27 | Flight reaches its cruising altitude without incident | 38,000 | 520 |
| 10:29 | Aircraft crosses the French coast just east of Marseille | 38,000 | 532 |
| 10:30 | Aircraft continues at its cruising altitude | 38,000 | 547 |
| 10:31 | The aircraft appears to have dropped more than 2,000 feet | 37,975 | 549 |
| 10:32 | The pilot fails to inform Air Traffic control of the drop in altitude | 35,575 | 544 |
| 10:33 | The jet continues along its course but has lost almost 8,000 feet | 32,625 | 544 |
| 10:34 | Radar returns show the jet starts to increase its speed | 28,875 | 552 |
| 10:35 | After five minutes, the aircraft has dropped almost 14,000 feet | 24,650 | 560 |
| 10:36 | The doomed jet passed over Montagnac-Montepezat | 20,300 | 547 |
| 10:37 | Next the jet passed Puimoisson Airport continuing its rapid descent | 17,050 | 518 |
| 10:38 | Seven minutes into the emergency the jet had lost 25,000 feet | 13,300 | 496 |
| 10:39 | Now the jet was passing the 4,000ft high Upper Bleone Forest | 10,475 | 473 |
| 10:40 | One minute from impact, the jet was 4,000 feet above the ground | 8,250 | 442 |
| 10:41 | Air traffic controllers lose contact with the aircraft | 6,800 | 435 |
| 10:47 | French Air Traffic declares an emergency | | |
| Source: FlightRadar24 |
Debris from the jet, operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline, was found near Barcelonnette
French emergency services workers and members of the French gendarmerie gather in Seyne, south-eastern France near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
French firefighters prepare to take-off from Digne-les-Bains for the site where the Airbus A320 crashed
He added Britain was working closely with the French, German and Spanish authorities, and the airline to establish the facts surrounding the crash.
President Barack Obama expressed his condolences and said America stood by their allies in this 'moment of sorrow.'
'Our thoughts and prayers are with our friends in Europe, especially the people of Germany and Spain,' he said ahead of a joint press conference with President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan at the White House.
'I called German Chancellor (Angela) Merkel and I hope to speak with President Rajoy of Spain later today to express condolences of the American people, and to offer whatever assistance that we can as they investigate the awful tragedy.
'It's particularly heartbreaking because it apparently includes the loss of so many children.'
The search of the plane crash site was called off for the night after conditions became too difficult and will resume tomorrow morning, French authorities said. Ten French police officers will guard the site overnight.
It is France's first air crash since Concorde crashed minutes after take-off from Charles de Gaulle airport in 2000, killing 113 people.
Yesterday, debris from the jet was found scattered over a wide area near Barcelonnette in an inhospitable region of the Alps.
One witness, a local farmer named only as Jean-Christophe led rescuers to the scene. He told French radio: 'The plane smacked straight into the wall of the mountain and just blew up completely.
'I saw smoke, bits of plane, none very big. Everything has exploded and sprayed over the scene. There is really nothing left. Given the impact I cannot imagine the bodies are whole.'
French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve (centre) is sheltered from the rain upon his arrival in Seyne, close to the crash site
Shock: A man who appears to have been waiting for missing Flight 4U 9525 reacts at Dusseldorf airport where the Airbus A320 was due to land
Grief: People waiting for Flight 4U 9525 are led away by staff at the airport in Dusseldorf
People waiting for flight 4U 9525 console each other as news of the crash filters through at Dusseldorf airport
Relatives of the plane crash passengers are seen leaving Terminal 2 of Barcelona El Prat airport, where the plane took off yesterday
'We still don't know much beyond the bare information on the flight, and there should be no speculation on the cause of the crash,' she said in Berlin. 'All that will be investigated thoroughly.' Mrs Merkel, Mr Hollande and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy were to visit the site on Wednesday.
According to flight data from FlightAware 24, the aircraft was cruising at 38,000 feet at 532mph at 9.30am local time (10.30am GMT). It started losing altitude to 37,975 by 10.31am with the speed reportedly increasing to 548mph.
But 10.41am, the last reported radar returns had the aircraft descending to 6,800 feet at 434mph. The aircraft took around ten minutes to drop 31,200 feet.
The cause of the crash was not immediately known, with weather conditions described as good in the region and the airliner flying at an altitude high above the Alps.
The area is inaccessible for vehicles but helicopters are able to deposit vehicles at the site.
About 150 firefighters and high mountain police were deployed to the scene, including 40 officers from Grimp – a unit within the Fire Service that specializes in rescue operations in dangerous and inhospitable environments.
Fifty vehicles, including 4x4s, quads and ambulances, are also being deployed. Dog teams will also investigate at the scene.
Stunned: A relative (centre) of passengers on the Germanwings plane that crashed in French Alps arrives at the Terminal 2 of the Barcelona El Prat airport, where the plane took off
Relatives of passengers on the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrive at the Terminal 2 of the Barcelona El Prat airport to await news of the rescue operation
HORROR AS 16 GERMAN PUPILS FROM SAME CLASS DIE ON DOOMED GERMANWINGS FLIGHT - BUT THEY NEARLY MISSED IT WHEN ONE STUDENT FORGOT THEIR PASSPORT
A class of 16 German school pupils and two teachers are among the victims of the doomed Germanwings Airbus A320 which crashed in the French Alps yesterday, killing all 150 people aboard.
The students - all of whom are understood to be in their teens - were pupils at the English-speaking Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium in Haltern-am-See, not far from the city of Dusseldorf.
The Year 10 pupils were returning home from a week-long exchange programme in Barcelona at the time of the disaster, which took place in a remote region of the French Alps en route from Spain to Germany.
This afternoon it emerged that the pupils almost missed the doomed flight when one of the students left her passport behind.
But in a tragic twist her host family offered to race the girl and all her travel documents to the airport directly, allowing them to make the flight in time.
As darkness fell in over Haltern am See, mourners gathered outside Joseph-Koenig school to pay tribute to the victims of the crash
Mourners gathered at a memorial of flowers and candles outside the college where the teenagers, all in year 10, were pupils
Tragic: In emotional scenes in Haltern-am-See this afternoon, schoolmates of those killed in the disaster were seen comforting one another and embracing and they laid flowers at the school gates
School children mourn for their dead school mates in front of the Joseph-Koenig Gymnasium this afternoon
Grief: Pupils mourn in front of the Joseph-Koenig college in Haltern am See this afternoon
In emotional scenes in Haltern-am-See this afternoon, schoolmates of those killed in the disaster were seen comforting one another and embracing and they laid flowers at the school gates.
One note, written in memory of a girl called Kati, read: 'Gone, but not forgotten, lost but always with us. Our hearts are broken but you are forever in them'.
One school, pupil called Ibrahim told local TV; 'I lost a good friend on that plane, 15 years old, a beautiful girl with everything ahead of her. We are in bits here. We cannot take it in.'
In a press conference this afternoon the school confirmed that all the students boarded the plane together, adding: 'This is without doubt the bleakest day in the history of our town.'
At a press conference this afternoon, mayor of Haltern am See, Bodo Klimpel, said employees had spoken with officials in Barcelona who confirmed that all 16 students and two teachers had boarded the plane together.
'The 16 students affected were from a Spanish course in Year 10. They took part in a student exchange in Spain and were flying back this afternoon,' he said, adding that a coach had been waiting at Dusseldorf airport to pick the students up.
An emergency counselor stands next to candles and flowers laid in front of Joseph-Koenig school yesterday
In mourning: Students arrive at Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium school in Haltern-am-See to pay their respects to their dead classmates
Police officers and members of staff stand guard outside Joseph-Koenig secondary school in Haltern am See
Two people look at candles in front of the Joseph-Koenig college in Haltern am See this afternoon
Candles were left in tribute to the 16 schoolchildren and their two teachers who lost their lives in the plane crash
A special service will be held at the school on Wednesday.
Earlier there were rumours that several of the students had missed the flight after one of them forgot her passport but hopes were subsequently dashed by Marti Pujol - the mayor of the village of Llinars del Valles where the children had been staying.
The mayor revealed that the young girl had realised she left her passport behind after arriving at the train station with the rest of her companions to catch a train to Barcelona's El Prat airport
Children at the Giola Secondary School, where the exchange students were on exchange, spoke of their sorrow after hearing the news.
One, Anna Garcia, said: 'One of the German girls left a bag with all her travel documents inside at her host family's home... So they didn't hold the rest of the group up, the family took her to the airport and she was able to board the plane.'
The director of Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium in Germany said that once it became clear that the plane was not going to land at Dusseldorf, lessons at the school were immediately cancelled.
By this afternoon friends and relatives of the dead had taken to social media sites to express their sadness at their deaths.
Students attend a mass in Llinars del Valles, the Spanish town near Barcelona where the German exchange pupils attended school
It emerged yesterday that a safety warning was issued last year when a sister plane of the one involved in yesterday's disaster suddenly lost altitude.
The European Air Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive after an Airbus A321 went into an uncontrollable dive north of Pamplona, Spain before pulling out.
According to the safety warning, the Lufthansa jet, with 109 passengers and crew aboard, was at 31,000 feet when it started to descend without any input from the pilot, at a rate of 4,000 feet per minute, before the flight crew managed to regain control at 28,000 feet.
According to the EASA, a safety system designed to protect the jet reacted to incorrect data due to a faulty sensor.
The safety warning related to all Airbus A318, A319, A320 and A321 – including the Airbus A320 involved in yesterday's disaster.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls last night confirmed that all 150 people on board the aircraft were dead. Alain Vidal, Secretary of State for Transport, Sea and Fisheries, was more final, insisting there were no survivors.
Spanish vice-president Soraya Saez de Sanataria said 45 people with Spanish surnames were travelling on the Airbus A320.
Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy said in a hastily-arranged press conference he was cancelling his diary and heading back to Madrid to head a crisis cabinet. He described the accident as a 'dramatic and sad' piece of news but declined to talk about the victims.
IS THIS THE MOMENT SPANISH PM LEANRED OF GERMANWINGS DISASTER? PREMIER'S GRAVE PHONE CALL AS MONARCHS GRIEVE WITH PRESIDENT HOLLANDE IN PARIS
The Spanish Prime Minister looked shell-shocked after he heard how at least 45 of his citizens had been killed in the Alps plane crash this morning.
Mariano Rajoy was being filmed by a TV crew when he received a phone call shortly after details of the accident began to emerge.
His visit to the northern Spanish town of Vitoria-Gasteiz took on an air of grave seriousness as the PM cancelled his scheduled appointments and headed back to Madrid for a crisis cabinet meeting.
A film crew from the Spanish newspaper 20 Minutos filmed the Spanish Prme Minister receiving a serious phone call this morning
In a hastily-arranged press conference, he said: 'I profoundly regret this very sad accident. We are going to do all we can.'
Meanwhile Spain's King and Queen abandoned a planned three-day visit to France after a brief meeting with French president Francois Hollande this morning.
King Felipe VI and his wife Letizia had been due to begin a state visit to Paris yesterday in a trip intended to strengthen links between the two countries.
President Hollande welcomed the King and Queen to the Elysee Palace in Paris this morning, on what was due to be an occasion of celebration.
During their visit, the Spanish royals were due to open an exhibition of the works of Spanish painter Diego Velazquez at the Grand Palais.
They were then planning to go at the City Hall to open a garden in honour of Spanish fighters in the Second World War, before King Felipe was due to speak at the National Assembly.
Instead, there was hushed mood when the meeting took place as both French and Spanish heads of state started to hear updates of what had happened in the Alps.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was on a visit to a northern province this morning when news that 45 of his citizens had been killed in the Germanwings plane crash began to emerge
He said: 'I profoundly regret this very sad accident. We are going to do all we can.'
He also confirmed he had spoken with German chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish King Felipe VI.
The monarch announced yesterday shortly after arriving in France for a three-day official visit that he was cancelling the trip.
German media reports say there is a wide field of debris visible.
Pierre Polizzi, the owner of a nearby camping site told Al Jazeera: 'The plane crashed just 2km from here, high on a mountain.
'There was loud noise and then suddenly nothing. At first I thought it came from fighter jets that often hold drills in the area.'
Lucille Polizzi, 18, said: 'We were outside and then suddenly we heard this big noise.
'I thought it was an earthquake. We have earthquakes fairly frequently here, just small ones. I wasn't afraid. My father thought it was a fighter jet but we couldn't see any.
'The noise lasted probably seven or eight seconds. Then it stopped. There was nothing for maybe 15 to 30 seconds. Then a second noise.
'The same as the first noise and it lasted about the same time. I wondered then if it was perhaps an avalanche.'
AIRBUS A320: THE WORKHORSE OF THE SKIES
The Airbus A320 - the model of aircraft involved in yesterday's accident - is known as 'the workhorse of the skies' and is used by British Airways and a number of popular budget airlines.
Since the first version of the Airbus A320 was released in 1987, around 4,000 have been built and the company say one takes off or lands somewhere in the world every 2.5 seconds.
The short-haul, narrow-body airliner is assembled in France, Germany and China and was ranked as the world's fastest selling aircraft bewteen 2005 and 2007 when it became popular with low-cost airlines.
This Germanwings Airbus A320 carrying 144 passengers and six crew has crashed in the French Alps
And the single-aisle aircraft, which typically seats around 150 passengers, 'sets industry standards for comfort and operating economy on short- to medium-haul routes', according to Airbus.
Despite the Airbus A320 having one of the best safety records in the world, the widely-used family of aircraft have been involved in a number of crashes in the three decades they have been used, resulting in scores of deaths.
One the first accidents to involve one of the planes happened in the north east of France, not far from the current crash site, when an Air Inter flight came down in the Vosges mountains in 1992.
The single-aisle aircraft, which typically seats around 150 passengers, 'sets industry standards for comfort and operating economy on short- to medium-haul routes', according to Airbus. Above, file photo of inside an A320 aircraft
The Airbus A320-111 was on its approach to Strasbourg airport when it hit La Bloss Mountain, killing 87 of the 96 people on board.
The best-known recent incident involving the plane was when a domestic flight in the US had to put down in the Hudson River in New York.
The US Airways flight from the city's LaGuardia Airport heading for Charlotte, North Carolina when it is believed to have flown into a flock of geese.
One of the deadliest accidents involving one of the planes was in May 2006, when Armavia flight 967 crashed into the sea near Sochi, Russia.
Timeline of terror: This graphic from FlightRadar24 shows the path of the Airbus A320 until it dropped off the radar after plunging 31,200ft
French President Francois Hollande (right) attends a meeting with Spain's King Felipe VI (centre) and Queen Letizia at the Elysee Palace in Paris. The three-day state visit of King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain has been suspended following the crash of an Airbus operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline
One eyewitness in the village of Le Vernet, where some wreckage has been sighted, told Le Parisien newspaper: 'This morning I heard a massive thud and soon after saw several jets fly over.
'The initial sound was like an avalanche or like the sound of the dynamite they use to cause an avalanche.
'Then around noon I looked out of the window and saw a column of smoke rising into the air. We're around 3km away, but also in the mountains and snow bound.'
One resident, called Rejane, told BBC News: 'We heard a strange noise. It was a deep noise, not very nice, I thought at first it was a small earthquake.'
Another witness, on the other side of the mountain in Pra Loup, Hervé Graf, of Chalet Hotel Les Blancs, told Mail Online: ' We are probably one of the nearest habitations but saw and heard nothing even though it apparently crashed into the other side of the mountain from us.
'It is not a skiable area and there is deep, deep snow. At this time of the year anyway there are very few tourists or skiers here.'
One man who was due to be on the flight told BBC News he had 'mixed emotions' at changing his travel plans. David Cabanes, who flew on Monday instead, said his flight had been filled with tourists and families.
German airline Lufthansa said it has no information yet about the crash of a jet belonging to its Germanwings subsidiary, describing it as a 'dark day'.
'We do not yet know what has happened to flight 4U 9525,' Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr said via Twitter.
'My deepest sympathy goes to the families and friends of our passengers and crew on 4U 9525. If our fears are confirmed, this is a dark day for Lufthansa. We hope to find survivors.'
Shares in Lufthansa and Airbus were down 4.7 percent and 2.1 per cent respectively after news of the accident.
Lufthansa was also hit by a four-day pilots' strike last week, although this did not affect Germanwings.
The European Aviation Safety Agency said: 'It is very sad news that the Germanwings flight 4U-9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the south of France. All our thoughts are with the families of the victims.
'We are closely monitoring the latest information and we are in contact with the French authorities, Airbus and other organisations involved, in order to provide any support possible.'
Airbus, who manufactured the jet in November 1990, added: 'We have been informed of an accident involving an A320 Family aircraft and all efforts are now going towards assessing the situation.
'We will provide further information as soon as available. Our thoughts are with those affected by this tragic event.'
The crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa group since 1991, according to online database airfleets.net.
But Captain Peter Benn, speaking from Whiteley in Hampshire, told Channel 4 News: 'When you state the age of the aircraft, it's important to emphasise that these planes are maintained to near perfect condition as can be.
'This is one of the most, if not the most, checked transport in the history of human mobility. The aircraft will have been safely looked after.'
The arrivals board shows flight 4U 9525 from Barcelona without a status at the airport in Dusseldorf
Revealed: Germanwings flight 4U9525 received safety warning just four months ago after sister plane went into tailspin
- Sister plane of that involved in yesterday's crash lost altitude late last year
- Air safety agency sent out directive warning operators to be aware
- Pilot in that incident pulled the plane out of the dive averting problems
- Airbus A320s involved in number of accidents since introduced in 1980s
- Plane is considered extremely safe and is widely used around world
A safety warning was issued last year when a sister plane of that involved in yesterday's accident suddenly lost altitude.
The European Air Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive after an Airbus A321 went into an uncontrollable dive north of Pamplona, Spain before recovering.
According to the safety warning, the Lufthansa jet, with 109 passengers and crew aboard, was at 31,000 feet when it started to descend without any input from the pilot, at a rate of 4,000 feet per minute, before the flight crew managed to regain control at 28,000 feet.
According to the EASA, a safety system designed to protect the jet reacted to incorrect data due to a faulty sensor.
The safety warning related to all Airbus A318, A319, A320 and A321 – including the Airbus A320 involved in yesterday's disaster.
In response, Airbus created a 'temporary revision' to all of the aircraft's flight manuals.
The A321 involved in the previous incident is a slightly longer version of the plane involved in yesterday's crash, carrying an extra 40 passengers.
A similar Airbus plane to that involved in yesterday's crash was put down in the Hudson River, New York in 2009
Since the first version of the Airbus A320 was released in 1987, around 4,000 have been built and the company say one takes off or lands somewhere in the world every 2.5 seconds.
The widely-used Airbus A320 family of aircraft have been involved in a number of crashes in the three decades they have been used resulting in scores of deaths.
One the first accident to involve one of the planes happened in the north east of France, not far from the current crash site, when an Air Inter flight came down in the Vosges mountains in 1992.
The Airbus A320-111 was on its approach to Strasbourg airport when it hit La Bloss Mountain, killing 87 of the 96 people on board.
The best-known recent incident involving the plane was when a domestic flight in the US had to put down in the Hudson River in New York.
The US Airways flight from the city's LaGuardia Airport heading for Charlotte, North Carolina when it is believed to have flown into a flock of geese.
Captain Chesley Sullenberger was widely praised for landing the plane on the river, meaning none of the 155 people on board were seriously injured.
One of the deadliest accidents involving one of the planes was in May 2006, when Armavia flight 967 crashed into the sea near Sochi, Russia.
All 113 passengers and crew on the A320-211 died after it flew into terrible weather while approaching the southern Russian city after taking off from Yerevan, Armenia.
Six years earlier, 143 people, including two Britons, lost their lives when a Gulf Air Airbus A320-212 went down in the Gulf of Bahrain after a three-long flight from Cairo.
A number of factors were blamed for the night-time crash, including pilot error and poor training of staff.
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