Germanwings Air Crash: Three Britons Killed

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 25 Maret 2015 | 23.21

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

At least three Britons were among the 150 people killed when a passenger jet crashed in the French Alps, the Prime Minister has confirmed.

One of the British victims is 50-year-old Martyn Matthews, from Wolverhampton.

The father-of-two grown-up children is thought to have been travelling to Germany for a business meeting.

His family have said they are "devastated at the news of this tragic incident".

Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, originally from Hull who was studying hospitality in Lucerne, was also a passenger on the fateful flight.

His mother Carol said: "Paul was a kind, caring and loving son. He was the best son, he was my world."

Pawel Pracz, whose wife Marina Bandres Lopez-Belio and seven-month-old son Julian Pracz-Bandres died in the crash, said he was "devastated".

Mr Pracz, who lived with his family in Manchester, said his wife had been in Spain for a funeral and had only bought tickets "at the last moment".

Speaking at the last Prime Minister's Questions before the General Election, David Cameron offered his "deepest condolences" to the families of those who died in the disaster, and said the UK stood ready to offer any assistance it could.

He told the Commons: "It is heart-breaking to hear about the schoolchildren, the babies, the families whose lives have been brought to an end.

"The Foreign Office is working urgently to establish whether any further British nationals were among those on board."

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

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

Investigators are also examining the black box cockpit 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". Recordings from the recorder have been extracted.

1/9

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

]]>

Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, originally from Hull

]]>

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

]]>

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

]]>

The case of the second black box which records technical flight data has been found but without its contents.

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

:: Click here for latest updates

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.

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".

At a news conference, Germanwings chief executive Thomas Winkelmann said those killed came from at least 13 different countries.

As well as the three Britons they included 72 German nationals, 51 Spaniards, two Australians, two Americans and one Japanese.

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

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

"Our school will never be the same again," he said.

Flags were lowered to half mast across Germany, while silent vigils have been held in both Cologne and Barcelona to remember the dead.

French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spain's Mariano Rajoy have made a joint visit to the remote village of Seyne-les-Alpes, where French investigators have set up their search headquarters.

The three leaders thanked search teams and were due to meet families of victims.

Mrs Merkel said: "It's a real tragedy."

She said her thoughts are with the victims' families.

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.

The operator had to cancel a number of flights following the crash with some crews saying they were unable to fly after losing their colleagues.

1/29

Gallery: Rescue Teams Resume Search After Plane Crash

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier (3R) arrives near the crash site of Germanwings Airbus A320 near Seyne-les-Alpes, France

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

]]>

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

Top Stories

Breaking News: Dropped Clarkson Could Face Police Action
Breaking News: Live: Reaction As Jeremy Clarkson Is Dropped
Breaking News: BBC Director General: Clarkson Crossed A Line
Breaking News: Live: Europe Mourns As Recovery Teams Fly In
Breaking News: 'He Was My World': Alps Crash Victims Mourned

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Light Switch Rigged To Explode In Rented Home

By Sky News US Team

An explosive device rigged to a light switch has been defused by a bomb squad at a home occupied by tenants until a week ago in a Boston suburb.

The homeowner, his lawyer and an electrician were preparing the home in Milton for sale after the renters moved out when they noticed the wiring.

Police explosives specialists sealed off the street on Tuesday as they disarmed the device in an operation that took several hours.

The bomb was a gallon plastic container full of accelerant, hidden behind a recently plastered section of wall in the closet of an upstairs bedroom and wired throughout the house.

Police Chief Richard Wells told reporters on Tuesday: "By what we believe was the intent of the design of this device, it was definitely intended to do some significant destruction."

The drains of the house, on Craig Street, were also found to have been blocked with cement.

Lindel Williams, who owns the property, told the Boston Globe: "I just can't believe someone would really do this."

Investigators told reporters a husband, wife and daughter who had been renting the home since last June moved out at the weekend.

Neighbours said the home had previously been vandalised with red paint in between renters.

No arrests have yet been made.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Jeremy Clarkson Could Face Police Action

Jeremy Clarkson faces possible police action for an "unprovoked physical and verbal attack" which left a Top Gear producer with swelling and a split lip.

Clarkson, 54, assaulted Oisin Tymon for around 30 seconds, while shouting "derogatory and abusive language" so loudly it could be heard in a hotel bedroom, a BBC report has found.

The attack at the Simonstone Hall Hotel, in North Yorkshire, was only stopped when a witness intervened, BBC Director General Tony Hall said.

Now North Yorkshire Police has asked the BBC for its report and said action will be taken "where necessary".

Mr Hall said the Top Gear presenter's contract will not be renewed and the decision was taken with "great regret".

He said he had spoken to both men and was publishing the findings of the BBC's internal investigation, though he added that he took "no pleasure" in doing so.

The investigation heard Mr Tymon drove himself to A&E after he was attacked by Clarkson on 4 March.

In a statement, North Yorkshire Police said it "is liaising with the BBC regarding the alleged incident in North Yorkshire involving Jeremy Clarkson".

"We have asked the BBC for the report which details the findings of their internal investigation into the matter.

"The information will be assessed appropriately and action will be taken by North Yorkshire Police where necessary."

Speaking after the decision was announced, Mr Tymon said: "I've worked on Top Gear for almost a decade, a programme I love. Over that time Jeremy and I had a positive and successful working relationship, making some landmark projects together.

"He is a unique talent and I am well aware that many will be sorry his involvement in the show should end in this way."

In his statement, Mr Hall said: "I cannot condone what has happened on this occasion.

"A member of staff - who is a completely innocent party - took himself to Accident and Emergency after a physical altercation accompanied by sustained and prolonged verbal abuse of an extreme nature.

"For me a line has been crossed. There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations."

:: Read the full statement here

The report said "verbal abuse was directed at Oisin Tymon on more than one occasion - both during the attack and subsequently inside the hotel - and contained the strongest expletives and threats to sack him.

"The abuse was at such volume as to be heard in the dining room, and the shouting was audible in a hotel bedroom."

Mr Hall said "no blame" was attached to Mr Tymon, who, he said, "behaved with huge integrity throughout".

Clarkson's Top Gear co-presenter James May told Sky News he had not been told the news officially, but it was a "tragedy".

"What ought to have been a small incident, sorted out easily, turned into something big," he said.

He said he was sure Top Gear would "continue in some way" but could not say if he would stay because he, Clarkson and Richard Hammond "come as a package".

1/11

Gallery: Who Could Replace Jeremy Clarkson?

Model and TV presenter Jodie Kidd is a well-known car expert and amateur racing driver. She currently presents The Classic Car Show on Channel 5

Actor and comedian Stephen Fry famously drives a black cab around London and would be a popular choice for many

]]>

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

BBC Director General: Clarkson Crossed A Line

Tony Hall, the BBC Director General, has released this statement regarding Jeremy Clarkson.

"It is with great regret that I have told Jeremy Clarkson today that the BBC will not be renewing his contract.

"It is not a decision I have taken lightly. I have done so only after a very careful consideration of the facts and after personally meeting both Jeremy and Oisin Tymon.

"I am grateful to Ken MacQuarrie for the thorough way he has conducted an investigation of the incident on 4 March.

"Given the obvious and very genuine public interest in this I am publishing the findings of his report. I take no pleasure in doing so.

"I am only making them public so people can better understand the background. I know how popular the programme is and I also know that this decision will divide opinion. The main facts are not disputed by those involved.

"I want to make three points.

"First - The BBC is a broad church. Our strength in many ways lies in that diversity. We need distinctive and different voices but they cannot come at any price.

"Common to all at the BBC have to be standards of decency and respect. I cannot condone what has happened on this occasion.

"A member of staff - who is a completely innocent party - took himself to Accident and Emergency after a physical altercation accompanied by sustained and prolonged verbal abuse of an extreme nature. For me a line has been crossed.

"There cannot be one rule for one and one rule for another dictated by either rank, or public relations and commercial considerations.

"Second - This has obviously been difficult for everyone involved but in particular for Oisin. I want to make clear that no blame attaches to him for this incident. He has behaved with huge integrity throughout. As a senior producer at the BBC he will continue to have an important role within the organisation in the future.

"Third - Obviously none of us wanted to find ourselves in this position. This decision should in no way detract from the extraordinary contribution that Jeremy Clarkson has made to the BBC.

"I have always personally been a great fan of his work and Top Gear. Jeremy is a huge talent. He may be leaving the BBC but I am sure he will continue to entertain, challenge and amuse audiences for many years to come.

"The BBC must now look to renew Top Gear for 2016. This will be a big challenge and there is no point in pretending otherwise. I have asked Kim Shillinglaw to look at how best we might take this forward over the coming months. I have also asked her to look at how we put out the last programmes in the current series."

Investigation Findings

On 9 March 2015, Jeremy Clarkson reported to BBC management that he had been involved in a physical and verbal incident with Oisin Tymon, the producer of Top Gear, at the Simonstone Hall Hotel, North Yorkshire, whilst working on location. The incident had occurred on 4 March 2015 and Jeremy Clarkson was suspended on 10 March, pending investigation.

I was asked to undertake an investigation to establish the facts of what occurred. In conducting my investigation, in line with the BBC's usual practice, I interviewed a number of witnesses and others connected with the incident. Accounts were agreed, based on my interviews, with each participant.

Having conducted these interviews and considered the evidence presented, I conclude the following: on 4 March 2015 Oisin Tymon was subject to an unprovoked physical and verbal attack by Jeremy Clarkson. During the physical attack Oisin Tymon was struck, resulting in swelling and bleeding to his lip. The verbal abuse was sustained over a longer period, both at the time of the physical attack and subsequently.

Specific facts I have found as part of my investigation are as follows:

:: Earlier on 4 March, studio recording of Top Gear had taken place in Surrey and the presenters had travelled that same evening to the location shoot in North Yorkshire.

:: The incident occurred on a patio area of the Simonstone Hall Hotel, where Oisin Tymon was working on location for Top Gear.

:: The physical attack lasted around 30 seconds and was halted by the intervention of a witness;

:: It is the case that Oisin Tymon offered no retaliation;

:: The verbal abuse was directed at Oisin Tymon on more than one occasion – both during the attack and subsequently inside the hotel – and contained the strongest expletives and threats to sack him. The abuse was at such volume as to be heard in the dining room, and the shouting was audible in a hotel bedroom;

1/11

Gallery: Who Could Replace Jeremy Clarkson?

Model and TV presenter Jodie Kidd is a well-known car expert and amateur racing driver. She currently presents The Classic Car Show on Channel 5

Actor and comedian Stephen Fry famously drives a black cab around London and would be a popular choice for many

]]>

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Salmond Reveals Plans To 'Lock Out' Tories

By Anushka Asthana, Political Correspondent

Alex Salmond has said that the Scottish National Party will attempt to "lock" David Cameron out of Downing Street if the Conservatives try to form a minority Government after the General Election.

Scotland's former First Minister, who hopes to be an MP himself, said his party would vote as a block against Tory policy in a bid to trigger a vote of no confidence.

Critics accused him of trying to sabotage the will of the British public - should the Conservatives be the largest party on 8 May.

The comments come as Mr Cameron and Labour leader Ed Miliband clashed for the final Prime Minister's Questions of this Parliament.

The intervention is significant because the two biggest parties are now neck-and-neck in the polls, meaning neither is on track for a majority.

In that situation, they would be heavily reliant on other parties to get votes through Parliament. But the SNP - whose own surge in the polls could leave them with 50 MPs compared with just six now - have long been hostile to the Conservative party.

"The Tories would have to go straight effectively for a vote of confidence, usually the Queen's Speech, although it could be otherwise, and we'd be voting against it," Mr Salmond told the New Statesman magazine.

"So if Labour joins us in that pledge, then that's Cameron locked out."

That would then trigger a vote of no confidence and give Labour two weeks to try to form a Government.

Mr Salmond's interview took place over a fish and chip lunch, at which he ordered a bottle of pink champagne to celebrate the publication of his new book about the referendum campaign: The Dream Shall Never Die.

During the interview, Mr Salmond also revealed that Nelson Mandela was the historical figure with whom he most identified.

The Conservatives hit back at the SNP figure last night, with deputy chair Bob Neill describing it as a "sinister threat".

Labour may not find it helpful either.

Its leader in Scotland, Jim Murphy, who is giving a speech later today, has warned that votes for the SNP can only serve to weaken Labour's position overall, making them less likely to win the election.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

Victims Angry At Blood Inquiry 'Whitewash'

HIV and hepatitis C sufferers and their relatives have reacted angrily following the publication of a report investigating how they were infected with contaminated blood.

The Penrose report followed a public inquiry set up by the Scottish government after hundreds of people - many of whom were haemophiliacs - were given infected blood by the NHS during the 1970s and 1980s.

A statement from Lord Penrose - who was not present because he is seriously ill - was read out by the inquiry secretary, Maria McCann, after which several attendees called out "whitewash" to show their disapproval of the findings.

Victim Bruce Norval, who explained he was involved throughout the whole process, had read the report in total as well as every piece of evidence, said the report was "a piece of nonsense".

He went on: "It does not match the evidence, it does not match the charges. It doesn't address the main issues. It degrades patient opinion against medical opinion despite the fact that doctors very clearly have more to lose through an adverse report than we do.

"Their opinion in the form of hearsay, ie: 'We told patients that they were getting hepatitis' was taken over the idea that thousands of UK patients have said: 'No we weren't'."

The statement read on Lord Penrose's behalf said: "For people infected by HIV/Aids and/or hepatitis C, the impact on their lives and the lives of their loved ones has often been devastating.

"I would also comment on the often forgotten suffering of clinical staff, who discovered that the treatments they thought were beneficial to patients actually caused them to become infected with life-threatening conditions.

"They too have been affected, especially when accused of knowing or deliberate attempts to harm patients."

The sole recommendation from Lord Penrose's report was that people who had blood transfusions in the 1970s and 1980s and before 1991 should be tested for hepatitis C.

The Prime Minister, speaking at the last Prime Minister's Questions before the General Election, apologised, saying: "To each and every one of those people I would like to say sorry on behalf of the Government for something that should not have happened.

"While it will be for the next government to take account of these findings, it is right that we use this moment to recognise the pain and the suffering experienced by people as a result of this tragedy.

"It is difficult to imagine the feelings of unfairness that people must feel at being infected with hepatitis C and HIV as a result of a totally unrelated treatment within the NHS."

Scotland's Health Secretary Shona Robison later apologised on behalf of the NHS and her government.

The inquiry only looked at those in Scotland who had been infected.

Thousands more people in England and Wales were also infected at the time.

23.21 | 0 komentar | Read More

'He Was My World': Alps Crash Victims Mourned

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Relatives of those killed in the Alps plane crash have been speaking of their devastation as it emerged three Britons were on board the flight.

The Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf on Tuesday, killing all 150 people on board.

The 144 passengers and six crew were from more than a dozen countries, mainly Germany and Spain.

One of the British victims has been named as Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, who was originally from Hull.

He was studying hospitality and hotel management in Switzerland and due to start an internship next week.

His mother Carol, who lives in Majorca, said: "Paul was a kind, caring and loving son. He was the best son, he was my world."

1/9

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

]]>

Paul Andrew Bramley, 28, originally from Hull

]]>

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

]]>

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

]]>

The Foreign Office issued a statement on behalf of Mr Bramley's family.

It said: "Paul had just finished his first year at the college and had taken a few days holiday with friends in Barcelona, before flying back to the UK via Dusseldorf to meet his family."

Another Briton on board the flight was Martyn Matthews, 50, from Wolverhampton.

Mr Matthews leaves behind his wife, Sharon, and children Jade, 20, and Nathan, 23.

He worked in Tipton, near Dudley in the West Midlands, for German automotive manufacturer Huf.

1/9

Gallery: School Lost 16 Pupils In Crash

The main high school in the western German town of Haltern am See is mourning the loss of 16 students and two teachers who died in the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps

A memorial of candles and flowers has been set up at the front of the Joseph-Koenig school

]]>

He was believed to be on his way to a business meeting in Germany.

It has also emerged that Marina Bandres Lopez Belio, 37, originally from the Spanish Pyrenees but living in Manchester, was travelling on the plane with her baby son.

Her husband, Pawel Pracz, said he was devastated at losing his wife and their child, seven-month-old Julian Pracz-Bandres.

Ms Bandres had been visiting her family in Spain for her uncle's funeral and only bought the tickets at the last moment.

Mr Pracz said: "I'm with my closest family in Manchester, and in close contact with our family in Spain at this very difficult time.

"We are devastated and would like to request that we be allowed to grieve in peace as a family without intrusion at this difficult time."

Announcing that three Britons had died, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: "We cannot rule out the possibility that there are further British people involved.

"The level of information on the flight manifest does not allow us to rule out that possibility until we have completed some further checks."

The victims also include 16 pupils and two teachers from a school in Haltern am See in western Germany.

They had been returning from a week-long exchange at a school near Barcelona.

"Our school will never be the same again," the school's headmaster, Ulrich Wessel, said.

Two opera singers were also among the 72 German citizens on the flight.

Maria Radner was returning home with her husband and baby after performing in Wagner's Siegfried, according to Barcelona's opera house Gran Teatre del Liceu.

Also killed was Kazakh-German opera singer Oleg Bryjak, who had appeared in the same opera.

There were two Australians on board - a mother and her adult son who were on a European holiday together.

1/30

Gallery: Europe Mourns Alps Crash Victims

Germanwings employees gather outside the company headquarters to observe a minute of silence in Cologne Bonn airport

Germanwings employees place light candles

]]>

The family of Carol and Greig Friday said they are "crippled with sadness" at their loss.

They said 68-year-old Carol was a loving mother-of-two and Greig, 28, was an exceptional brother.

A statement issued on behalf of the family said: "Our family is in deep disbelief and crippled with sadness and would like to ask for privacy.

"They were both extraordinary and exceptional people who were loved by many, who they loved in return. They will forever be with us in our hearts, memories and dreams."

Recommended by Outbrain Recommended by Outbrain

Ahok Kokok

Mengenai Saya

Popular Posts Today