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Feature: Germany mourns victims of plane crash in France

Xinhua, March 26, 2015 Adjust font size:

The crash of German budget airline Germanwings flight 4U9525 in southern France with 150 people on board, including 72 Germans, shocked the whole nation. No one is expected to have survived the crash.

At 10:53 local time (0953 GMT) on Wednesday, staff of Germanwings and its parent company Lufthansa held a minute's silence at Duesseldorf Airport.

Lighted candles and messages to mourn victims of the plane crash were seen at the airport.

"Dear parents, brothers, friends and lovers: Be strong, Duesseldorf. The world and I grieve together with you. You are not alone," read one note.

After confirming the accident on Tuesday, Germanwings and Lufthansa changed their otherwise colored logos into gray scale on social media.

At the request of the German Ministry of Interior, flags at all federal agencies in Germany will fly at half-mast from Wednesday to Friday.

The state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), of which Duesseldorf is the capital, also decided to fly flags in government offices at half-mast on Wednesday and Thursday.

A total of 16 teen-aged students and two teachers in Joseph-Koenig High School in Haltern am See, a town 80 km north of Duesseldorf, died in the plane crash.

After the tragic news was received, the school was closed. Many students brought flowers and candles to mourn their peers.

"This is the darkest day in the history of our city," said Bodo Klimpel, the mayor of Haltern am See.

The local newspaper Halterner published on Wednesday a full-page obituary, stating: "16 students and two teachers of Joseph-Koenig High School lost their lives in the tragic plane crash in France, leaving a whole town in shock. In these difficult hours, our deepest sympathy goes to the families and relatives, friends and companions of the victims."

NRW Minister of Education Sylvia Loehrmann said at a press conference: "No one can take the pain of losing a close family member or friend. We can only share it. And through this sharing we can provide some consolation."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday arrived with NRW Prime Minister Hannelore Kraft at the crash site in southern France.

German President Joachim Gauck, who was visiting South America, also decided to cut short his visit and return home early. "My thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims," he said. "May they find strength and comfort in this difficult time."

The Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, plans to mourn the victims of the disaster on Thursday before the start of its session. Endit