Two Americans were on board the Germanwings flight that crashed in southern France on Tuesday, it has been announced.
Thomas Winkelmann, the airline’s managing director, said on Wednesday that according to its most up-to-date information 72 Germans, 35 Spanish citizens and two US citizens were on board the flight – as well as two from Australia, Argentina, Iran and Venezuela, and one from Britain, the Netherlands, Colombia, Mexico, Japan, Denmark, Belgium and Israel.
Winkelmann said the list was not yet final because the company was still trying to contact relatives of 27 victims.
He said in some cases victims’ nationality was not entirely clear, in part because of dual citizenship.
Spain’s government said it had identified 49 Spanish victims and the country’s media have been releasing their names, while Britain said it believed there were at least three Britons on board.
Germanwings flight 4U9525 was travelling from Barcelona to Düsseldorf when it crashed around 11am on Tuesday in the French Alps.
It is not yet clear what caused the crash, though the black box has been found – damaged, but usable.
Search and recovery operations are under way, but it could take a week to collect the victims’ remains.
US president Barack Obama called German chancellor Angela Merkel and Spanish president Mariano Rajoy on Tuesday to express his condolences, and those of the American people to Germany, Spain and the families of the victims.
He offered them both full assistance from American officials as needed to respond to the crash, the White House said.
