UPDATED: Plane carrying 148 crashes in France

An Airbus A320 airliner carrying 142 passengers and six crew members has crashed in the French Alps between Barcelonnette and Digne, BBC is quoting French aviation officials and police as saying.

The jet belongs to the German low-cost airline Germanwings, a subsidiary of Lufthansa.

Both Airbus and Germanwings say they aware of the reports but cannot confirm them yet.

Daily Mail reported that the plane disappeared from radar in the Alpes de Hautes Provence after sending a distress signal at 10.47am local time (9.47am GMT).

It said debris from the jet had been found scattered over a wide area near Barcelonnette.

Francois Hollande, president of Franc, expressed doubts that there would be any survivors.

“It’s a loss, a tragedy which has happened on our soil,” Hollande said.

“I am seeking information about homes in the area it came down. It’s difficult place to access. In the meantime, solidarity must prevail.”

Manuel Valls, the prime minister, said he understood that between 142 and 150 people were on board and feared dead.

“The cause is at present unknown,” he told reporters.

A spokesman for the DGAC aviation authority said the airplane crashed near the town of Barcelonnette about 100 km (65 miles) north of the French Riviera city of Nice.

German media reports say there is a wide field of debris visible.

Flight data from FlightAware 24, at 09.30 UTC (10.30 GMT) showed that the aircraft was cruising at 38,000 feet at 463 knots, but started losing altitude to 37,975 by 10.31am with the speed reportedly increasing to 477kts.

But at 10.41am, the last reported radar returns had the aircraft descending at 6,800 feet at 378kts. The aircraft plunged 31,200 feet in just 10 minutes.

Lufthansa’s Germanwings unit said it was as yet unable to verify reports of the crash, tweeting: “We have recently become aware of media reports speculating on an incident though we still do not have any own confirmed information.”

The crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa group since 1991, according to online database airfleets.net.

The local La Provence newspaper said the Airbus A320 was carrying 142 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew, citing aviation officials.