An Airbus A320 operated by the airline Germanwings went into an eight-minute descent before crashing in southern France on Tuesday, according to airline officials.
Speaking at a news conference hours after the crash, Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann said it was not yet clear whether it was a "deliberate or unintentional loss of height," though he added that the plane was briefly inspected Monday and the pilot had more than 6,000 hours of flying experience. "We have to investigate properly with all the professionals what went wrong" before determining a cause, he said.
All 150 people on board — 144 passengers and six crew members — are presumed dead.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
More than 2,000 dead following massive earthquake in MoroccoSpeed Read
-
Mexico's next president will almost certainly be its 1st female president
Speed Read
-
North Korea's Kim to visit Putin in eastern Russia to discuss arms sales for Ukraine war, U.S. says
Speed Read
-
Gabon's military leader sworn in following coup in latest African uprising
Speed Read
-
Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
Speed Read
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
