Locals killed in Alps aircrash

TWO local people were amongst the victims of the Germanwings flight that crashed into the Alps, killing all those on board.

One from Lorca and another from Aguilas were passengers on the flight that came down on Tuesday, March 24.

At time of going to press, the mayors of the two Murcia municipalities had confirmed the identities of the two passengers and contacted their relatives, although names had not been revealed to the general public. Both town halls cancelled official acts and remained on stand-by to assist the missing men’s families in whatever way they could.

One hundred and fifty passengers and crew were believed to have been on board the plane.

The small village of Meolans-Revel in France became the focal point of the emergency services, as by 4.30pm searches of the local area revealed pieces of fuselage, wreckage and dead bodies.

Aviation and police officials stated that the rugged terrain, adverse weather conditions and darkness falling at about 6.30pm in the area had hindered the rescue operation.

French President Francois Hollande said just after the event: “It is unlikely that there will be any survivors.”

He also confirmed that 42 of the passengers were Spanish; however, the Spanish deputy prime minister’s office stated that 45 people on board had Spanish surnames.

The Germanwings Airbus took off from El Prat Airport in Barcelona at 9.35am on Tuesday, but disappeared off radars at around 11am. It crashed in the mountains near Barcelonnette, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, according to French media outlets.

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