Hundreds of mourners are attending a national memorial service at Cologne Cathedral for the 150 people who died when Germanwings flight 4U9525 crashed into the French Alps.
About 500 relatives of victims are attending the ecumenical service, with hundreds more watching on large screens outside the cathedral and in a neighbouring church. During the service 150 candles are to be lit to mark each of the lives lost.
The parents of the 27-year-old co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, who appears to have to deliberately locked the captain out of the cockpit and taken control of the plane so that he could crash it, had been invited to the service but were not attending, organisers said.
The couple have not spoken publicly since cockpit recordings seemed to show that their son deliberately crashed the plane. His medical history, including a ongoing depression, and questions about how much his employer knew of his condition, have been the focus of much scrutiny.
The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, is attending the service along with the president, Joachim Gauck; the president of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Hannelore Kraft; Spain’s transport minister, Ana Pastor Julián; and France’s foreign minister, Laurent Fabius.
Among the mourners are 50 French and German rescue workers who have been raking through the wreckage and searching for the remains of victims since 24 March. When the Airbus 320 crashed in a remote, rocky ravine, the impact was so forceful that it left only small pieces of debris and bodies scattered over two hectares.
Relatives, friends and teachers of 16 German schoolchildren who were returning from an exchange in Spain when the plane crashed are also present.
Employees of Lufthansa and Germanwings will pay their respects to their deceased colleagues. The flight’s crew included four air stewards and the captain, Patrick Sonderheimer, whose attempts to enter the cockpit by hammering on the door and appealing to Lubitz to “open the damned door” were heard on the cockpit voice recorder.
Pilots and air stewards have been asked not to wear their uniforms, in a mark of respect towards relatives of the dead. Psychologists advised that such a sight might be traumatising owing to the fact it was a Germanwings pilot who crashed the plane. The airline has said some of its staff are still too distressed to fly.
The service, which is being led by Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, of the Catholic church, and Annette Kurschus, a Protestant pastor, is being broadcast live on German television. Flags on official buildings are flying at half mast.
So far no remains have been released for burial as investigators continue to try to piece together the precise details of the crash and to identify the victims. As such, psychologists who have treated some of the relatives say the memorial service has taken on an even greater significance for the families.
The Germanwings disaster led to air carriers across the world introducing a “rule of two” to prevent a pilot ever being alone on the flight deck. It has also sparked a debate over the extent to which medical professionals should be obliged to inform authorities about patients with suicidal tendencies if they have a job that might affect public safety.
