Breaking reports state that a Germanwings A320 aircraft has crashed in the French Alps. All 142 passengers and six crew aboard Flight 4U 9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf are believed to have died in the crash about 100 miles north of Nice.
Initial reports stated that the pilot of the Airbus aircraft sent out a distress signal minutes just before crashing into a 9,000 feet high mountain but now air traffic control has confirmed it sent out the mayday after the flight vanished from radar screens at about 10.47 am local time, 46 minutes after take-off from Barcelona.
Aircraft debris had been found on the 2,961 metre high Estrop massif near the small town of Barcelonette in the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provence.
FlightAware has made the flight tracking page available here: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/GWI9525/history/20150324/0835Z/LEBL/EDDL