BREAKING NEWS: Plane carrying 142 passengers and six crew crashes in the French Alps en route from Spain to Germany

A plane (pictured) carrying 142 passengers and six crew has crashed in the southern French Alps en route from Spain to Germany. The Airbus A320 was flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf when it disappeared from radar in the Alpes de Hautes Provence after sending a distress signal at 10.47am local time (9.47am GMT). Debris from the jet, operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline, was found near Barcelonnette (pictured inset), according to the French Interior Ministry. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he understood between 142 and 150 people were on board and feared dead. Pictured right is a graphic on FlightRadar24 showing the path of the Airbus A320 until it dropped off the radar.