150 feared dead as passenger jet crashes in France (Third Lead)

An Airbus A320 of a German low-cost airline with 150 people on board crashed on Tuesday in southern France while flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf. French President Francois Hollande said no survivors are expected.

Germanwings confirmed on Tuesday that its flight 4U9525 met with an accident over the French Alps, Xinhua news agency reported.

The plane was flying from Barcelona in Spain to Duesseldorf in Germany when it crashed around 11 a.m. in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in the southern French Alps.

There were 144 passengers and six crew members on board, Germanwings said in a joint statement with its parent company Lufthansa.

"We must confirm to our deepest regret that Germanwings Flight 4U9525 from Barcelona to Duesseldorf has suffered an accident over the French Alps," the statement posted on their twitter accounts read.

Germanwings and Lufthansa have set up a free hotline with number 0800-11335577 for families of passengers involved for care and assistance.

"Everyone at Germanwings and Lufthansa is deeply shocked and saddened by these events. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the passengers and crew members," the companies said.

French President Hollande said there might be no survivors from the ill-fated passenger jet.

In a brief statement, Hollande said: "The conditions of the accident, which are not yet clear, suggest there would be no survivors in this tragedy that happened in France."

Hollande also expressed France's solidarity with Germany, Spain and the family members of the victims of the crash.