Germanwings crash victims of Flight 9525 were mourned today in a special service help at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany. The ill-fated flight was travelling to Dusseldorf from Barcelona before it crashed into the French Alps last month.
Germanwings Crash Victims Honored
One hundred forty-four passengers and six crewmembers from 18 countries lost their lives in the crash. The Germanwings crash victims were honored by Catholic and Protestant religious leaders, as well as German representatives, Chancellor Angela Merkel, and President Joachim Gauck. French and Spanish officials, staff from Germanwings and their parent company, Lufthansa airlines, were also present.
The country’s flags were flown at half-staff and one-hundred fifty candles were lit, one for each of the people on board the flight, including Co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, as part of the memorial service ceremonies. The square outside the German chapel was adorned with a white flag with a black cross, as well as messages of sympathy to the Germanwings crash victims’ families; red, white and blue flowers were also placed alongside the messages.
Nearly 500 family members of the Germanwings crash victims attended the memorial service. Parent company, Lufthansa, delayed their 60th anniversary celebration and decided instead to broadcast a live coverage of the special tribute to the crash victims.
Co-Pilot Possibly Suffering from Mental Illness
Co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, is believed to have flown the plane into the mountainside to commit suicide on March 24, 2015. Reports from the plane’s recording device revealed that the pilot of the flight was locked out of the control room by Lubitz, and thus, unable to get back inside. The accident has been under investigation since then.
Investigators state that Lubitiz was severely depressed; evidence from his home computer reveal that, just a few days prior to the crash of Germanwings Flight 9525, he had conducted several Internet searches regarding methods of committing suicide.