Germanwings Airbus 320 crash: black box damaged but information is useable

France’s interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve, has told RTL radio all options must be looked into to explain why the Airbus A320 ploughed into an Alpine mountainside on Tuesday but a terrorist attack is not the most likely scenario.

The fact that one of the black boxes can be used will be a boost to the investigation. The Associated Press spells out the significance of this here:

The plane had two such devices, actually orange boxes designed to survive extreme heat and pressure. They can provide investigators with a second-by-second timeline of the plane’s flight.

The voice recorder takes audio feeds from four microphones within the cockpit and records all the conversations between the pilots, air traffic controllers as well as any noises heard in the cockpit.

The flight data recorder captures 25 hours’ worth of information on the position and condition of almost every major part in a plane.

Reuters just breaking with this news:

FRENCH INTERIOR MINISTER SAYS BLACK BOX FROM PLANE CRASH IS DAMAGED BUT CAN BE USED TO FIND INFORMATION

As reported earlier there are fears that some of the victims on board the flight may be British. The Press Association also confirms earlier reports that a mother and her young baby who lived in the UK were on board.

Among those travelling on the plane with her baby was Marina Bandres, who came from Jaca in the Spanish Pyrenees and lived in Britain, Jaca mayor Victor Barrio said. Ms Bandres, reportedly 37, had been attending a funeral in the area for a relative.

Mr Barrio said he did not know if Ms Bandres’ husband was on the flight with her and son Julian, who was seven or eight months old.

Interesting point made here on safety of flying and the modern age.

Our correspondent Angelique Chrisafis is on the road to the area of the crash and points out that the mountain village of Seyne-les-Alpes has become the centre of operations.

Francois Hollande, Angela Merkel and Mariano Rajoy are due to arrive at 2pm to visit the operations centre.

A make-shift chapel has been set-up and some families are expected to arrive shortly. Scores of rooms and a holiday centre in the area have been set up for families and more than 50 specialists will be assigned to take care of them.

It could take days or more for special services to be able to retrieve the victims’ remains after such a high-impact crash.

Here is some of that AFP story:

The arduous search for the 150 victims of the worst aviation disaster on French soil in decades was set to resume at dawn Wednesday, as European leaders visit the site of the tragedy to pay their respects.

The accident’s cause remains a mystery but authorities have recovered a black box from the Airbus A320 at the crash site, where debris was believed to be scattered over four acres of remote and inaccessible mountainous terrain, hampering rescue efforts.

Lieutenant Colonel Jean-Marc Menichini said a squad of 30 mountain rescue police would resume attempts to reach the crash site by helicopter at dawn Wednesday, while a further 65 police were seeking access on foot. Five investigators had spent the night at the site.

It would take “at least a week” to search the remote site, he said, and “at least several days” to repatriate the bodies.

Video images from a government helicopter Tuesday showed a desolate snow-flecked moonscape, with steep ravines covered in scree. Debris was strewn across the mountainside, pieces of twisted metal smashed into tiny bits.

The plane was “totally destroyed”, a local MP who flew over the site said, describing the scene as “horrendous”.

French President Francois Hollande, his German counterpart Angela Merkel and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy were expected to reach the scene around 2:00 pm (1300 GMT).

Agence France-Presse, the French based news agency, has just filed its morning take on the crash. It says more than 300 policemen and 380 firefighters have joined the search for the bodies and wreckage.

Mountain rescue police are also on the scene. Five investigators had spent the night at the site.

France, Spain and Germany will be waking up to another day of this tragedy about now. The news overnight has been limited. And the recovery process for both the bodies of the deceased and parts of the plane will be slow especially if the predicted bad weather in the Alps continues.

Here is a reminder of some of the newspaper headlines which will greet citizens in those countries this morning.

The family of Australians Carol and Greig Friday have agreed to the release of two pictures of their relatives.

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It is being pointed out that the recovery effort is likely to be hampered by pretty harsh weather in the south of France.

The family of Carol and Greig Friday have released a statement. It reads:

Our family is in deep disbelief and crippled with sadness and would like to ask for privacy.

Carol was a loving Mother of two, a devoted wife to her husband Dave and a sister to three brothers.

She celebrated her 68^th birthday on March 23^rd. Carol was a registered nurse, midwife and maternal and child health nurse, most recently working for the City of Casey.

She was a talented artist and enjoyed spending time creating with her local art group.

She loved to travel and has seen many of the world’s greatest sights. Carol loved life! She enjoyed every minute with her family and friends.

Greig was to turn 30 on 23^rdApril. He was a loving son to Carol and Dave and an exceptional brother to his sister Alex.

He was adored by all of his family and friends. Greig was a Mechanical Engineer who studied at Monash University and had since worked for Jacobs Engineering as an acoustic engineer.

He also loved to travel and had just completed a course for teaching English as a foreign language, which he was hoping to do in France in the coming year.

Greig was a man who loved others and life with a full heart!

Carol and Greig were enjoying a few weeks holiday together at the start of his European stay.

They were both extraordinary and exceptional people who were loved by many, who they loved in return.

They will forever be with us in our hearts, memories and dreams.

The foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has named the Australian woman killed overnight in the crash.

Two Australians, Carol Friday and her son, were on board the flight. Consular officials have been in contact with the Friday family and are providing all possible consular assistance.

Our thought and prayers are with them at this unimaginably difficult time.

Her son has been named as Greig Friday. They were both from Melbourne.

More pictures are coming through of debris spotted at the crash site near Seyne les Alpes:

View image in fullscreen

View image in fullscreen

Two Colombians were among the 150 people killed in a plane crash in the French Alps on Tuesday, AFP reports.

Maria del Pilar Tejada and Luis Eduardo Medrano died in the crash, the Colombian foreign ministry said, after French officials indicated there were no survivors from the Airbus 320 jet wreckage.

“The news was confirmed directly to the family of the victims,” a ministry statement said, without providing further biographical details of the deceased.

It expressed its “most sincere condolences” to the victims’ relatives, France, Germany, Spain and other countries affected by the disaster.

Elsewhere, there are reports from Mexico that three Mexican passengers were on board:

Two Argentines were also reportedly on board.

As investigators begin their attempts to discover the reasons behind the aircraft’s crash-landing, a pressing question will be why the plane descended when it did, and why the pilots did not communicate with air traffic control past that point:

AFP cites an Argentine diplomat confirming that two Argentine nationals were on board the aircraft.

Santiago Martino, an official at the Argentine embassy in Paris, reportedly told Radio America:

We got in touch with the crisis center and they told us officially that there were two Argentines who boarded the flight.

The French authorities have said there was no chance for any survivors given the rough terrain and difficult access.

However, the Argentine foreign ministry has not issued a statement.