Germanwings crash: Families to view coffins in Duesseldorf

  10 June 2015    Read: 823
Germanwings crash: Families to view coffins in Duesseldorf
The relatives of 44 of the 150 victims of the Germanwings plane crash, including 16 German schoolchildren, are to view their coffins in Duesseldorf.
They will be allowed to see the coffins inside a hanger at the airport, before the cortege drives past the school.

The victims` remains are the first to be repatriated, following delays over errors on the death certificates.

Co-pilot Andreas Lubitz is believed to have deliberately crashed the Airbus A320 into the French Alps in March.

`Accept reality`

Eighteen of the victims - 16 schoolchildren and two teachers - were from the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium school in the north-western German town of Haltern and were returning from an exchange trip in Barcelona when the plane crashed.

The cortege of coffins will drive past the school later on Wednesday.

The arrival of the remains will help to give the relatives closure, allowing them to accept the reality that their children will not be coming home, a lawyer representing the families told the BBC`s Anna Holligan in Duesseldorf.

The remains of the rest of the victims will be sent back over the coming weeks. The passengers were from 18 countries, including Australia, Argentina and Japan, but most of those on board were either Spanish or German.

Families of the victims were angered last week after the repatriation of some of the bodies was delayed because of errors on the death certificates in France.

Lufthansa, which carried the remains of the 44 victims from Marseille on Tuesday night, is a parent company of budget airline Germanwings.

Prosecutors investigating the crash are looking into the possibility of launching a criminal case against the airlines for failing to recognise that Lubitz posed a danger, with reports of a history of depression, our correspondent in Duesseldorf says.



Earlier this month, French state prosecutor Brice Robin reportedly said Lubitz had attempted to speak to dozens of doctors ahead of the crash, but did not specify what the co-pilot was seeking help for.

Mr Robin, who is leading the investigation, is due to meet the relatives on Thursday to discuss identification and the process of handing over the remains.

Both Germanwings and Lufthansa have previously said that Lubitz, 27, had passed all fitness to fly tests.

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