French police reach plane crash site in Alps

French police have visited the site where a passenger plane carrying 150 people crashed today in the French Alps.

Police said it is likely to take days to recover the bodies of those on board because of the difficult terrain.

A plane operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline crashed in a remote snowy area of the French Alps, with all passengers on board believed to be dead.

Germanwings confirmed its flight 4U9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the French Alps with 144 passengers and six crew members on board.

"There are no survivors," France's junior transport minister Alain Vidalies said.

The area had been "sealed off for the start of the investigation," he added.

An aviation official has said the crew did not send a distress signal contradicting earlier reports that a distress call was made at 9.47am (Irish time)

Mr Vidalies said: "It crashed in a place that is inaccessible by road. The overview from the helicopter simply permitted a view of the wreckage and a few bodies around the plane."

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.

Mr Hollande 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 snow-clad alpine area that is hard for rescue services to reach.

French Interior Ministry spokesman Pierre-Henry Brandet said he expected "an extremely long and extremely difficult" search and rescue operation because of the area's remoteness.

There were likely to be significant numbers of Germans on the flight, according to Mr Hollande.

Spain's deputy prime minister said 45 passengers had Spanish names.

It was the first crash of a large passenger jet on French soil since the Concorde disaster just outside Paris in July 2000.

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Lufthansa Chief Executive Carsten Spohr spoke of a "dark day" for the airline.

"We do not yet know what has happened to flight 4U9525. My deepest sympathy goes to the families and friends of our passengers and crew," Lufthansa said on Twitter, citing Mr Spohr.

"If our fears are confirmed, this is a dark day for Lufthansa. We hope to find survivors," it said.

A spokesman for France's DGAC aviation authority said the airliner crashed near the town of Barcelonnette about 100km north of the French Riviera city of Nice.

French and German accident investigators were heading for the crash site in Meolans-Revel, a remote and sparsely inhabited commune in the foothills of the French Alps.

German Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt would also travel to the crash site, a ministry spokesman said.

Families of those on board the plane were gathering at Barcelona airport.

Spain's King Felipe VI, in France on a state visit, also said there were no signs of survivors.

Standing on the steps of the Élysée Palace with his wife Letizia and President Francois Hollande, he said he would be suspending the visit in the wake of the crash.

"We know it was in an area where access is extremely difficult and that the search will be complicated," he added.

Ms Merkel said she was "deeply shaken" by the air accident.

"In these difficult hours our thoughts are with all those who must fear their relatives are among the passengers or crew members," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa group since 1991, according to databaseairfleets.net 

A spokeswoman for Airbus said the company is trying to assess the situation.

The single-aisle A320 typically seats 150 to 180 people.

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