Investigators resume search for bodies of plane crash victims this morning

Investigators of yesterday's tragic Germanwings flight 9525 crash on the Barcelona-Dusseldorf route resumed early this morning the search of hard-to-reach locations in the French Alps. They are trying to find the bodies of all the victims and obtain clues that will reveal why the plane crashed within just eight minutes of the pilot's last contact with the control tower, writes the Telegraph, as reported by Patria.

The plane was flying normally at an altitude of 11,500 meters and within eight minutes dropped to an altitude of 1,800 meters when it hit the Alps. The pilots did not send a distress call before the crash.

Air traffic controllers activated the alarm only after the plane disappeared from their radar. Moments later, the French military sent a fighter jet that located the plane, which was already scattered in pieces.

About 350 firefighters and 300 soldiers, specially trained for mountain missions, are involved in the search and rescue operation.

Several Germanwings flights were cancelled because pilots and cabin crew refused to fly after it was announced that the plane that crashed in the French Alps had been grounded for an hour before the flight for repairs.

The company confirmed that the plane that crashed in the Alps was grounded for an hour on Monday due to a minor malfunction, but stressed that the malfunction did not endanger the safety of people on board.