Remains of victims being airlifted from Germanwings crash site

Helicopters have began airlifting the remains of the victims of a Germanwings plane crash from the disaster site in the French Alps, a source close to the investigation said.

Yesterday's operation to recover the remains of the 150 passengers and crew killed in the Airbus A320 crash was later called off for the night, the source told AFP.

The mountain crash site, which is situated at about 1,500 metres (5,000 feet) altitude, is accessible only by helicopter or an arduous hike on foot.

At least 51 Spaniards and 72 Germans died Tuesday when Flight 4U9525 from Barcelona to Duesseldorf crashed into the mountainside after an unexplained eight-minute descent from cruising altitude.

The crew sent no distress signal.

Lufthansa, which owns the low-cost operator Germanwings, said the aircraft was carrying people from a total of 18 countries.

The families of the victims are expected to gather near the crash site today.

Lufthansa announced it would lay on two special flights to take the family members from Spain and Germany to the southern city of Marseille in France.