An Airbus A320 aircraft of Lufthansa’s Germanwings budget carrier flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf has crashed in remote area of southern France, with 148 passengers and crew members on-board.
The aircraft is reported to have crashed near Barcelonette town in the southern Alps.
French President Francois 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 zone that is particularly hard to access."
French Transport Minister Alain Vidalies said that the aircraft issued a distress call in an abnormal situation shortly before the incident.
It is believed that there are a number of German passengers on the flight 4U 9525.
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By GlobalDataLufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr tweeted: "We do not yet know what has happened to flight 4U 9525.
"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."
Search-and-rescue teams are heading to the crash site in Meolans-Revel.
Airbus said: "All efforts are now going towards assessing the situation. We will provide further information as soon as available."
