Germanwings Air Crash: Three Britons Killed

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At least three Britons were among the 150 people killed when a passenger jet crashed in the French Alps, the Foreign Secretary has said.

And Philip Hammond said he could not rule out this number rising until further checks had been carried out.

He was speaking as recovery teams resumed their search at the crash site in hazardous terrain.

Overnight rain and snow at the crash site has made the rocky ravine slippery, increasing problems in reaching the area.

Investigators are also examining the black box voice recorder of the doomed Germanwings aircraft in the hunt for clues as to what caused the Airbus A320 to come down without issuing a mayday message.

The French authorities said although the black box had been damaged, it is thought to be "useable".

Although officials insist no cause has been ruled out, terrorism is not considered likely.

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The plane was en route from Barcelona in Spain, to Dusseldorf, Germany, when it came down on Tuesday morning less than an hour into its flight at Meolans-Revels, between Barcelonnette and Digne.

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Gallery: Alps Plane Crash: The Victims

Marina Bandres, who came from Jaca in the Spanish Pyrenees and lived in Manchester, was travelling on the plane with her baby

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Eyal Baum, 39, was an Israeli citizen living in Barcelona with his wife. He was among 150 people killed when a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps

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Opera singer Oleg Bryjak. He was travelling with his wife Maria Radner and their baby. Pic: Liceu Barcelona Opera House

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Opera singer Maria Radner and her husband had been in Spain for a performance. Pic: Liceu Barcelona Opera House

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None of the 144 passengers and six crew survived the crash.

One of the main lines of inquiry for investigators will be the aircraft's eight-minute long descent from 38,000ft to 6,800ft, despite being in a mountainous area and without putting out a distress call.

Images of the area show the plane, operated by the Lufthansa-owned budget airline, had completely disintegrated with the fuselage smashed into small pieces, the largest of which is about the size of a small car.

German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier was flown over the site and called it "a picture of horror".

Among those on board were 16 children and two teachers from the same school in Haltern Am See in Germany were on the plane, returning home after an exchange visit.

The headteacher of Joseph Konig school, Ulrich Wessel, said he was "shell-shocked and speechless".

Others on board included Marina Bandres, 38, who was travelling with her baby. She came from Jaca in the Spanish Pyrenees and lived in Britain.

Two of the passengers were German opera singers contralto Maria Radner, from Dusseldorf, and bass baritone Oleg Bryjak, who was born in Kazakhstan.

The mayor of a town close to the site of the crash has said the families of those killed are expected to begin arriving in the town on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, silent vigils have been held in both Cologne and Barcelona to remeber the dead.

Mr Hammond said: "We currently believe that three British people have been killed in this tragedy, but we cannot rule out the possibility that there are further British people involved."

He added that the Foreign Office was in contact with the families of those killed and there would be more news "once we have a clearer picture".

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Gallery: Rescue Teams Resume Search After Plane Crash

Gendarmerie and French mountain rescue teams fly in a helicopter near the site of the Germanwings plane crash near the French Alps

Television news satellite vehicles are seen in front of the mountains

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Germanwings said the plane had a normal service at Dusseldorf on Monday and its last major check-up was in the summer of 2013. Experts have said the A320 has a relatively good safety record.

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