Sixteen German schoolchildren were onboard of Germanwings flight 4U 9525 that crashed in the French Alps on its way from Barcelona to Duesseldorf killing 150 people.

The German school class was on its way back from an exchange trip.

The Airbus A320 – flight 4U 9525 – went down between Digne and Barcelonnette. None of the 144 passengers or six crew is expected to have survived.

The plane crashed after an eight-minute descent, an official said. It is not clear if it sent a distress signal.

A rescue helicopter has reportedly reached the site of the crash, in a remote mountain area.

Gilbert Sauvan, a local council official, told Les Echos newspaper that the plane had “disintegrated”.

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