2nd LD Writethru: At least 3 Britons killed in Germanwings air crash
Xinhua, March 25, 2015 Adjust font size:
At least three British nationals died in the crash of a German low-cost airline in southern France, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Wednesday.
The Airbus A320 aircraft, operated by Lufthansa's budget airline Germanwings, crashed Tuesday in the French Alps while flying from Spain's Barcelona to Germany's Duesseldorf. No survivors were expected among the 144 passengers and six crew members on board.
"We currently believe that three British people have been killed in this tragedy, but we cannot rule out the possibility that there are further British people involved," Hammond said.
"The level of information on the flight manifest doesn't allow us to rule out that possibility until we have completed some further checks," he added.
The foreign secretary said the Britain is in contact with the French, German and Spanish authorities and will make a further announcement once "a clearer picture" is established.
He said on Tuesday that Britain's Air Accident Investigation Branch and Disaster Victim Identification experts were standing by to offer assistance to the French authorities, if required. Endit