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A Germanwings Airbus 320 crashed in the French Alps shortly after dropping off the radar around 10:45 a.m. The plane carrying 150 people left Barcelona at 9:55 a.m. bound for Duesseldorf, AP has reported.
Here is what is known about the crash:
1. The plane was carrying 144 passengers and six crew. Their nationalities are unconfirmed at this time; however it is likely that a high number of them were German. Spain's deputy prime minister says 45 passengers were believed to be Spanish nationals, according to The Guardian.
2. According to reports, at least 16 high school students traveling in a group were on board the plane.
3. Germanwings is a discount branch of Lufthansa, Germany's largest airline, according to AP. The company confirmed on its website that the plane was carrying 144 passengers and six crewmembers. "Everyone at Germanwings and Lufthansa is deeply shocked and saddened by these events," a statement on the website said.
4. Weather does not appear to be a factor. Although it was initially reported that a distress signal was made, French authorities now say that is not the case. There were some clouds, but there did not appear to be any turbulence. The descent lasted roughly 8 minutes. The Guardian reports that debris has been located.
5. AP reports that the Airbus 320 has a good safety record, with just 0.14 fatal accidents per million takeoffs, according to a Boeing safety analysis. The last time a passenger jet crashed in France was in 2000 when the Concorde crashed into a hotel in Gonesse, France , killing 113 people – 109 on the plane and four on the ground.
6. The U.S. State Department says a third American has been identified as a victim of the plane crash in France that killed a total of 150 people.
7. Officials are working to extract data from the cockpit voice recorder.
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