45 Spaniards on board Germanwings Airbus

THE Spanish government has confirmed that 45 Spaniards were on board the Germanwings flight 4U 9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, when it came down in the French Alps earlier today.

The Spanish minister for transport, Ana Pastor, is believed to be on her way to the crash site while Prime Minister Rajoy cancelled all engagements, and is returning to Madrid to hold a crisis cabinet. El Pais reports that Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia, who are currently on an official state visit to France, are now at the Elysee Palace with President Hollande.

Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr issued the following statement on Twitter: “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.“

A statement from Germanwings now tells us that 144 passengers, two pilots and four crew members were on board, making the total 150 people.

All about 4U 9525