Germanwings crash one year anniversary

In a solemn day of remembrance, grieving families gathered on Thursday in a French Alpine village to pay homage to loved ones a year after the co-pilot of a Germanwings plane flew the passenger jet into a mountainside, killing all 150 people aboard.

Some 800 people were expected at the commemoration that started with a private ceremony and a minute of silence. Families had the option to visit the crash site on the mountain overlooking Le Vernet. A wreath-laying was to be the only public moment as families of victims — mostly German and Spanish — mark the grim day.

The flight was en route from Barcelona to Duesseldorf when co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, 27, locked the pilot out of the cockpit and thrust the aircraft into an accelerated dive. France's accident investigating body said in a report released this month that Lubitz's remains bore traces of anti-depressants and a sleeping medication.

"It happened on our mountains, and we have victims' families visiting us every week, families who come and pay tribute," said Le Vernet Mayor Francois Balique.

Villagers in Le Vernet and nearby Prads-Haute-Bleone have taken on the role of second family for many of the grieving. (AP)

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