(Bloomberg) — An Airbus A320 crashed en route to Dusseldorf from Barcelona, likely killing all 150 people on board, in what would be the worst air accident on French soil in three decades.

Germanwings Flight 9525 operated by the low-cost subsidiary of Deutsche Lufthansa AG went down in the French Alps following a rapid descent from cruising altitude, France's civil aviation authority said. Wreckage has been sighted, and French President Francois Hollande said there are unlikely to be any survivors.

"This is a tragedy that has happened on French soil," Hollande said in Paris. "We need to show all support in the face of this drama."

Want to continue reading?
Become a Free PropertyCasualty360 Digital Reader

  • All PropertyCasualty360.com news coverage, best practices, and in-depth analysis.
  • Educational webcasts, resources from industry leaders, and informative newsletters.
  • Other award-winning websites including BenefitsPRO.com and ThinkAdvisor.com.
NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.