Another picture of the emergency services setting up in Seyne-les-Alpes.

Image source, ActuSecours

Jak Edwards

tweets:, external When a plane crashes, setting off from the same airport, on the same day as yourself, you can't help feel fortunate RIP to all

German media reports suggest a group of schoolchildren may have been on board the flight. The students were making their way back from a foreign exchange trip, according to the Bild newspaper., external

Emergency vehicles gather in Seyne-les-Alpes.

Image source, ActuSecours

Contrary to previous reports, the crew did not send a distress signal, according to AFP.

Civil aviation authorities told the agency: "The crew did not send a Mayday. It was air traffic control that decided to declare the plane was in distress because there was no contact with the crew of the plane."

David Cabanes in Barcelona was meant to be on flight 4U 9525 but moved his plans forward by 24 hours.

He told the BBC: "There was a plan for me to go to Duesseldorf for a meeting on Tuesday... but we moved it to yesterday afternoon. So I took exactly the same flight, same time, same plane but yesterday, Monday."

He said he had "mixed emotions" and felt "shocked". "I remember the kind of people that were on the plane yesterday. A lot of children. Some executives but a lot of tourists."

Emergency services assembling before heading to the crash site.

Image source, ActuSecours

Relatives of passengers on board have been arriving at Barcelona airport, where the plane took off from.

Image source, Getty Images

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says "we are going through hard hours". She says she will travel to the crash site on Wednesday.

Flightradar24

tweets:, external Flight #4U9525 initially climbed to 38,000 feet before it started to descend and lost signal at 6,800 feet.

Image source, Flightradar24

What exactly happened to flight 4U 9525 is still unclear, but BBC News takes a look at the facts so far: German Airbus crash: What we know

Image source, AP

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy expressed sadness at the "dramatic" news. He said he was cancelling his schedule for the day and would head to Madrid where to instruct the deputy prime minster to create a crisis task force.

The French interior ministry have tweeted emergency numbers put in place for those close to victims. From Germany call 0800 1133 5577. From Spain dial 902 400 012.

tweets, external: Lufthansa and Germanwings have established a telephone hotline. The toll-free 0800 11 33 55 77 number is available to all the families of the passengers involved for care and assistance.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is to make a statement about the incident at 13:30 GMT.

Germanwings' managing director Oliver Wagner tells reporters the airline could not give any reasons for the plane crash but would do everything it could to ascertain what happened. "Our deep sympathy goes out to the relatives and friends of the victims," he said.

Image source, Getty Images

King Felipe VI of Spain, who is currently in Paris, has said his official state visit to France can not now be completed.

"Following conversations with President Holland and Mariano Rajoy we have taken the decision to postpone our official visit to France and try and carry it out in the future," he said.

He also offered his condolences to the families of the victims and thanked the French authorities for their response.

A hotel worker in Digne, the closest town to the suspected crash site, has told BBC Radio 5 live the plane was flying "very low". William says there are now several helicopters arriving at the site of the accident. He added that access to the crash site will be "very difficult" and that the area, normally covered in snow, is currently dry.