Plane crash in French Alps: All 150 feared dead

An airplane carrying 150 people crashed Tuesday in the French Alps. All 144 passengers and six crew members are presumed dead.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) A Germanwings Airbus A320 was traveling from Barcelona, Spain to Dusseldorf  Germany. During mid flight, the plane crashed, near Digne-les-Bains, in the Alpes de Haute Provence region, according to French Prime Minister Manuel Valls.

"The conditions of the accident are not yet clear but lead us to believe there will be no survivors," expressed French President Francois Hollande.

"In these difficult hours, our thoughts are with those who have to fear that their close ones are among the passengers and crew," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, explaining the German government has a crisis center set up "in response to the 'terrible news.'

Light a prayer candle for all of those involved in the tragic crash --

There is expected to be a high number of Spaniards, Germans and Turks on board, according to Spanish King Felipe VI.

Because the location of the crash is in a mountainous terrain with extreme weather conditions, the rescuers are having a difficult time accessing the crash site. However, a police helicopter is in the area.

According to an online flight tracker that records altitude, the plane was flying at 38,000 feet. Six minutes later, it dropped 14,000 feet to 24,000 feet.

This information indicates there was not an engine stall; the pilot was still in control of the plane to some extent. Either the pilot was making an emergency landing, or the plane was gliding with the pilot's guidance, according to CNN aviation analyst, Mary Schiavo.

Under 16 percent of airplane accidents happen during the actual flight; most accidents occur during takeoff or landing, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.

According to French Police Captain, Benoit Zeisser, a sports hall for students about six miles from the crash site is freed up to receive the bodies of victims from the doomed Germanwings flight.

"If our fears are confirmed, this is a dark day for Lufthansa. We hope to find survivors," Lufthansa Group, owners of the Germanwings airline stated on Twitter.

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