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Germanwings Plane Crash: What We Know So Far

Mar 24, 2015, 4:58 PM ET

By EMILY SHAPIRO

Germanwings Plane Crash: Here's What We Know

Next Video 24 Hours After Horrific Plane Crash, Rescuers Hunt for Bodies

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An Airbus A320 operated by Germanwings crashed today in a remote part of the Alps in southern France, near the town of Dign

• The plane was carrying 144 passengers -- including 2 babies -- and six crew members, Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann said at a news conference.
• There were "apparently no survivors," said French President Francois Hollande.
• The plane was en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, according to the airline.
• Helicopters arrived at the scene 30 minutes after the crash, according to French authorities. As night descended in France, the search and rescue operation was suspended for the day. About two-dozen first responders are staying at the site overnight.
• Bodies and debris will be brought down from the crash site Wednesday morning, according to a French Interior Ministry spokesperson. The search team includes 380 firemen, 300 policemen, a specialized mountain rescue team and 15 helicopters, the Ministry of Interior said.

Boris Horvat/AFP/Getty Images

PHOTO:French emergency services workers and members of the French gendarmerie gather in Seyne, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps, March 24, 2015.

Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters

PHOTO: French firefighters prepare to take-off in Digne-les-Bains for the crash site of an Airbus A320, in the French Alps, March 24, 2015.

Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP/Getty Images

PHOTO: A helicopter of the French civil security services flies near Seyne, south-eastern France, March 24, 2015.

ABC News

Who was on board?

The passengers were German, Spanish and Turkish, said Spanish King Felipe IV, who was in France for a pre-scheduled meeting with Hollande. The King had planned to stay in France for three days but now said he is returning to Madrid to launch a crisis center.

Germanwings said it is believed 67 Germans were on board.

Sixteen students and two teachers from a school in Haltern, Germany, were on the flight, a spokesperson for the city of Haltern said. The students had been returning from an exchange trip in Barcelona.

Opera singers Oleg Bryjak and Maria Radner were also among the passengers, returning from a performance in Barcelona. Radner was on the flight with her husband and baby.

Gran Teatre del Liceu

PHOTO: Opera singer Maria Radner is seen in this undated handout photo provided by the Gran Teatre del Liceu.

The State Department is reviewing whether any Americans were on board.

The list of nationalities of the casualties will be released as soon as the airline is certain, Winkelmann said, adding that the victims' families will be informed before a list of names will be released.

At a White House press conference, President Obama offered his thoughts and prayers to the people of Germany and Spain, saying "American stands with them at this moment of sorrow."

Obama said he has called German Chancellor Angela Merkel and hopes to speak with Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain to "express the condolences of the American people" and to offer U.S. assistance as they investigate this "awful tragedy."

"Our teams are in close contact and we're working to confirm how many Americans may have been on board," Obama said.