Technical experts set to probe Alps Airbus crash

Flight 4U 9525, an Airbus A320 carrying 144 passengers and six crew members, crashed at approximately 1200 GMT near Prads-Haute-Bléone.

French president Francois Hollande said early indications pointed to there being no survivors. In a televised address he said it was unclear whether residential homes or areas have been affected by the accident too.

According to real-time flight tracking service Flightradar24, flight 4U 9525 initially climbed to 38,000 feet before it started to descend (at around 3,000 to 4,000 feet per minute) and lost signal at 6,800 feet.

Dr Rob Thompson, a meteorologist at Reading University, told Sky News: ‘The weather conditions in the area of southern France where the crash is reported to have occurred look like nothing out of the ordinary for this time of year. Wind speeds on the ground showed breezy conditions, although this does not indicate the conditions higher up in the atmosphere.

“Available satellite imagery shows there were not any significant storm systems locally. Data from lightning detectors show the nearest electrical storms were occurring in Sardinia, some 186 miles off the south coast of France, which would be much too far away to cause any issues to air traffic.”