Alps plane crash: Search for victims’ bodies ends

Debris will carry on being removed from the crash site in the Alps

The French authorities say they have ended the search for bodies at the site where a Germanwings co-pilot is said to have crashed his aircraft in the French Alps, killing all 150 people on board.

Identification of the victims will continue with analysis of the DNA found and debris will carry on being removed.

Meanwhile reports said the European Commission took issue with Germany’s aviation authority before the crash.

Wall Street Journal said it was told to “remedy long-standing problems”.

The newspaper reported that the aviation authority, the Luftfahrtbundesamt (LBA), was told in November to sort out problems including a lack of staff which could have limited its ability to carry out checks on planes and crew.

In light of investigators believing co-pilot Andreas Lubitz crashed the plane deliberately, the way airline crew are vetted has come under scrutiny.

The European Aviation Safety Agency “had pointed out several cases of non-conformity,” spokesman Dominique Fouda told AFP news agency.

A European Commission spokesman said: “All EU member states have findings and this is a normal and regular occurrence.

“It is part of a continuous system of oversight – findings are followed by corrective action, similar to an audit process.”

BBC