24 Year Old Abbey Russell Missing Since 4/25/15 in Stillwater, MN (Update: A Body Recovered From St. Croix River)(Update: Found Deceased, Body Identified As Missing Stillwater Woman)

24 year old Abby Russell has been missing since early Saturday morning, April 25, 2015 in Stillwater, Minnesota. Abby was last seen at her house around midnight, near the intersection of Poplar Street and Highway 95 (MAP). She was reported missing  2 a.m. Saturday. The Stillwater police are asking for your help to locate Abby Russell. The missing 24 year old is described as being 5-foot 7-inches tall, weighing 150 pounds and having shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes.

The Stillwater Police Department responded to a report of a missing female in the area of Highway 95 and Poplar Street. The woman, identified as Abby Russell, was last seen at her residence.

She is described as 5 foot-7, 150 lbs., with shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes.

Extensive ground and aerial searches have been conducted since her disappearance was reported.

UPDATE I: No signs of missing Stillwater woman in St. Croix River search.

A sonar search Monday afternoon of the St. Croix River near the Stillwater Marina turned up no sign of Abbey Russell, a 24-year-old Stillwater woman who has been missing since early Saturday.

The area was searched after bloodhounds showed “moderate interest” in it, said Sgt. Jeff Stender of the Stillwater Police Department. Though the lead was not promising they decided to search the area with side-scanning sonar, which provides a relatively clear picture underwater, so the area could be ruled out if the search proves fruitless.

UPDATE II: FACEBOOK – Help Find Abbey Russell

UPDATE III: Body Recovered From St. Croix River, North Of Stillwater.

Authorities retrieved a body from the St. Croix River early Saturday afternoon, just north of downtown Stillwater.

According to a press release, both the Washington County Sheriff’s office and the Stillwater Police Department assisted in the recovery.

The body was found in the area where police have been searching for Abbey Russell, a 24-year-old Stillwater woman who hasn’t been seen since last Saturday.

If anyone has any with information regarding her whereabouts, please contact the Stillwater Police Department at 651-351-4900.

UPDATE IV: Body Pulled From St. Croix Identified As Missing Stillwater Woman.

Officials have identified the body pulled from the St. Croix River on Saturday as 24-year-old Abbey Russell, the Stillwater woman who’s been missing for a week.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office released a statement Sunday afternoon, saying that the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office was able to identify the body, which was found in the river just north of downtown Stillwater.

No foul play is suspected in Russell’s death. However, the medical examiner’s full statement has yet to be released, pending a toxicology report.

7.8 Magnitude Earthquake Devastates Nepal … Killing More than 1,000 People (Update: More Than 1,900 Killed in Quake)(Update: Death Toll More Than 3,700)(Update: Nepal Death Toll at 5,045 Deaths)

7.8 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Nepal …

A  7.8 magnitude earthquake has stuck Nepal in an area between the capital, Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara. The government is reporting that nearly 700 people have died from the massive earthquake; however, the numbers are  sadly expected top rise. The earthquake is the worst one in Nepal in 81 years as it toppling a 19th-century tower in the capital Kathmandu and touching off a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest.

Nearly 1,000 are known to have died in a powerful earthquake in Nepal, with many more feared trapped under rubble, officials say.

The 7.8 magnitude quake struck an area between the capital, Kathmandu, and the city of Pokhara, the US Geological Survey said.

Tremors were felt across the region, with further loss of life in India, Bangladesh, Tibet and on Mount Everest.

The government has declared a state of emergency in the affected areas.

A national police spokesman told the BBC that 970 people had died in the quake, and that more than 1,700 had been injured. At least 539 people were killed in the Kathmandu valley, he added.

Nepali Information Minister Minendra Rijal said there had been “massive damage” at the epicentre, from where little information is emerging.

UPDATE I: At Least 1,457 Dead After Massive Earthquake Strikes Nepal.

A massive earthquake near the capital of Nepal killed at least 1,457 people today as it collapsed temples and triggered an avalanche on Mt. Everest.

The magnitude-7.8 quake hit about 50 miles northwest of Kathmandu just before noon local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The death toll, estimated by the Nepalese Army, was expected to rise, said officials.

Another 1,055 were injured, said the country’s finance minister, Ram Sharan Mahat. It’s the worst earthquake in Nepal in over 80 years, according to the Associated Press.

CNN – 7.8 magnitude quake slams Nepal; hundreds dead

UPDATE II: Devastating Nepal quake kills over 1,000, some in Everest avalanche.

A powerful earthquake struck Nepal and sent tremors through northern India on Saturday, killing more than 1,000 people, toppling a 19th-century tower in the capital Kathmandu and touching off a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest.

There were reports of devastation in outlying, isolated mountainous areas after the midday quake of magnitude 7.9, Nepal’s worst in 81 years, centered 50 miles (80 km) east of the second city, Pokhara.

As fears grew of a humanitarian disaster in the impoverished Himalayan nation of 28 million, an overwhelmed government appealed for foreign help. India was first to respond by sending in military aircraft with medical equipment and relief teams.

A police official said the death toll in Nepal alone had reached 1,130, more than half of them in the Kathmandu Valley. A further 36 fatalities were reported in northern India, 12 in Chinese Tibet and four in Bangladesh.

UPDATE III: Everest climbers jolted; at least 8 dead at base camp.

A powerful earthquake in Nepal sparked a deadly avalanche on Mount Everest on Saturday, killing at least eight people at the base camp.

The base camp is where journalists, climbers and their families gather and get news to the world about developments at Everest, the world’s highest mountain above sea level.

At least one team of climbers on Everest appears to be safe after a few hours of anguish in which the expedition leader asked for prayers on social media in the wake of the massive earthquake in Nepal.

UPDATE IV: The Guardian – Nepal earthquake: death toll exceeds a thousand – live updates.

• More than 1,000 people have been reported dead after a huge 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal
• The country’s deputy prime minister, Bamdev Gautam, has declared a state of emergency and appealed for humanitarian assistance across the region.
• 18 climbers were found dead on Mount Everest after the tremor triggered an avalanche. Many more are trapped.
• The total death toll has risen quickly throughout the day, and is now thought to include at least 634 in the Kathmandu Valley and 300 more in the capital.
• 36 people have also been reported dead India, 12 in China, four in Bangladesh and six in Tibet.
• The quake caused dozens of buildings in Kathmandu to collapse, including the historic Dharahara Tower.

UPDATE V: More than 1,900 killed by 7.8-magnitude quake in Nepal.

At nightfall, Nepal’s capital became a tent city, as thousands of residents displaced by Saturday’s devastating earthquake stayed in their dark gardens and out on the cracked streets and lanes, afraid to go back inside because of waves of aftershocks, including a powerful jolt Sunday that the U.S. Geological Survey said measured 6.7 magnitude and which sent people fleeing for open ground and safety.

It had been a pleasant Saturday morning, with families just sitting down to lunch and tourists thronging to Kathmandu’s Durbar Square when the temblor hit, a horrible rocking motion that seemed to go on without end. The quake was ultimately felt across South Asia — in Lahore, in New Delhi, in Dhaka. Snow avalanched down Mount Everest. Buildings fell, mud-joined huts collapsed. By the end of the night, more than 1,900 lay dead, Nepalese officials said, with countless more injured.

UPDATE VI: Death toll from a devastating earthquake rose past 3,700.

Rescue workers raced to reach remote rural villages in Nepal Monday as the official death toll from a devastating earthquake rose past 3,700 and threatened to climb.

Nepal police said in a statement Monday that the country’s death toll had risen to 3,617 people. That number does not include the 18 people confirmed dead in an avalanche that swept through the Mount Everest base camp in the wake of the magnitude-7.8 earthquake. Another 61 people were killed in neighboring India. China reported that 20 people had died in Tibet.

Reports received so far by the government and aid groups suggest that many communities perched on mountainsides are devastated or struggling to cope. Udav Prashad Timalsina, the top official for the Gorkha district, near the epicenter of Saturday’s quake, said he was in desperate need of help.

“There are people who are not getting food and shelter. I’ve had reports of villages where 70 percent of the houses have been destroyed,” he said.

Nepal quake: Death toll passes 3,700 amid fears of devastation in rural areas.

The death toll in Nepal from the earthquake that struck two days ago has risen to 3,726, Nepalese police spokesman Kamal Singh Bam said Monday.

As the death toll from Nepal’s worst earthquake in decades surged past 3,400 on Monday, big questions remained about the scale of the devastation in rural areas.

The destruction in Kathmandu, the capital, is stark: Revered temples reduced to rubble, people buried in the wreckage of their homes, hospitals short on medical supplies overflowing with patients. Serious damage is also reported in villages in the surrounding valley.

But farther out across Nepal’s rugged landscape — closer to the epicenter of the 7.8 magnitude quake that struck Saturday — the situation is worryingly murky.

UPDATE VII: The official death toll from Saturday’s earthquake in Nepal has increased.

The official death toll from Saturday’s earthquake in Nepal has increased.

Nepal police late Wednesday reported 5,045 deaths had occurred in Nepal.

It also said more than 10,100 people had been injured and 7,400 of them remained hospitalized.

In addition, 19 people were killed on Mount Everest, 61 people were killed in India and China reported 25 deaths in Tibet.

26 Year Old Elizabeth Elena Laguna-Salgado Missing Since 4/16/15 in Provo, UT (Update: Unknown If Body in Suitcase Is Missing Utah Woman)(Update: Body Found Not Elizabeth Elena Laguna-Salgado)

26 year old Elizabeth Elena Laguna-Salgado has been missing since April 16, 2015 in Provo, Utah. She was last seen walking home Thursday, April 16 from the Nomen Global Language School at 384 W. Center St.; however, failed to report to work last week or return to her Provo apartment. The police have stated that Salgado’s phone has been turned off and there hasn’t been any credit card activity since Thursday.

Laguna-Salgado, 26, was last seen walking home April 16 from the Nomen Global Language School at 384 W. Center St. Police are asking the public to be on the lookout for the woman, who failed to report to work last week or return to her Provo apartment.

Laguna-Salgado is a returned Mormon missionary who has only been living in the area for about a month, Villalobos said. Family members told police they have not been able to make contact with her.

Her only relative in the area is an uncle, as her parents are in Mexico, according to the page.

“No ones knows where she is or even has a clue of where she could be,” a post to the page reads.

Laguna-Salgado is described as 5-foot-4 to 5-foot-5, 120-130 pounds, with long black hair and brown eyes.

When last seen, she was wearing a denim jacket, blue jeans, black or brown knee-high boots, and was carrying a denim hand bag with red straps.

UPDATE I: Volunteers search Provo River area for missing woman.

On Thursday friends, family and complete strangers came together in Provo to search for 26-year-old Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado.  She has been missing since Thursday, April 16th.

“This is really really hard for me because I live very close to here I never thought it was going to happen here.  Never,” said Rudemberdh Salgado, Elizabeth’s Uncle.

Volunteers scour the banks and crouch under bridges along the Provo River, hoping to find any signs of Salgado.

UPDATE II: Uncle fears Provo woman was taken against her will.

Provo police and family members were ramping up efforts Thursday to find a missing woman, and her uncle fears she was taken against her will.

“I believe somebody took her by force,” Rudemberth Salgado said of his 26-year-old niece Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado.

Salgado said his niece isn’t the type of person to leave or lose contact with family, and she left important items behind.

“Her passport is in her apartment and all her stuff is in her apartment,” he said.

FACEBOOK – Provo Police Department: Elizabeth Elena Laguna-Salgado

Provo Police Department is requesting additional assistance from the public in the investigation of the missing person, Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado.

We have scheduled a volunteer search party for Saturday, April 25th at 09:00 a.m. We will meet at the Covey Center parking lot, 100 S 450 W. Any volunteers wishing to participate will be subject to a background check and will need to produce valid photo identification

UPDATE III: Elizabeth Elena Salgado Case: Unknown If Body in Suitcase Is Missing Utah Woman.

On Thursday night, a body that was too badly decomposed to immediately confirm its age or sex was found in a suitcase along Interstate 80 near the Saltair Resort on the shore of the Great Salt Lake.

A state transportation crew found human remains in a suitcase Thursday along a highway near Salt Lake City, Utah, authorities said, stressing that it was too early to know whether the remains were those of Elizabeth Elena Salgado, the Provo woman who’s been the subject of a national missing persons alert since last week.

The state Transportation Department said the crew was installing a cable barrier along Interstate 80 near the Saltair Resort on the shore of the Great Salt Lake when a worker spotted the suitcase about 2:45 p.m. (4:45 p.m. ET). The worker called the state Highway Patrol and discovered the body inside when the trooper arrived.

Police investigating body found in suitcase near Saltair.

Human remains were located in a suitcase along a freeway Thursday, the Utah Highway Patrol reported.

The remains were located by Utah Department of Transportation workers on I-80 near the Saltair resort just before 3 p.m. The large suitcase was reportedly in a ravine off of the shoulder and not visible from the road.

Provo police confirmed Thursday evening that they are working with investigators in the case, but did not know yet whether the body could be missing Provo woman Elizabeth “Elena” Laguna Salgado.

Provo Police Chief John King said his officers are working with investigators to gather more information.

“We don’t know much about the body’s age, gender or anything like that,” said UHP Lt. Jared Garcia. “We need to secure the evidence, process the crime scene, take care of that part of it.”

UPDATE IV: Body Found in Suit case not that of Missing Elizabeth Elena Laguna-Salgado.

Provo police determined the body was not Elizabeth “Elena” Laguna Salgado, who was last seen on April 16. The 26-year-old vanished while walking home from an afternoon class at the Nomen Global Language School in Provo, where she was studying English.

“All last night I couldn’t sleep thinking this was my daughter,” her father, Julio Laguna Ozuna, told Good4Utah. “We prayed and have been fasting, praying to our heavenly father. “I feel relieved and have new found strength to continue looking for my daughter.”

UPDATE V: Body Found in Suitcase in Utah Linked to Missing Vegas Woman, Susana Villalvazo.

There are signs the body found Thursday in a ravine along Interstate 80 is that of Susana Villalvazo, but investigators are awaiting test results before making a final determination, Lt. Justin Hoyal of Utah’s Unified Police Department said Saturday.

His department was contacted by Las Vegas police after the body was described as that of a middle-aged woman who had a mastectomy and a wrist tattoo of a pink breast cancer ribbon, Hoyal said. When the 46-year-old Villalvazo went missing last November, Las Vegas police said she was missing a breast and had a pink-ribbon tattoo on a wrist.

“Obviously, there are close similarities between the two. But we’ll have to wait until we get lab testing results for 100 percent certainty,” Hoyal told The Associated Press. “We’re hoping within the next several weeks to have that finalized.”

The body was so badly decomposed that investigators could need DNA testing or dental records to establish the identity, he added.

Villalvazo and her stepfather, Samuel Teran, 75, were reported missing under suspicious circumstances from their family’s Las Vegas home on Nov. 5. Two days later, Teran shot himself in the head after police stopped his SUV outside a fast-food restaurant in North Las Vegas. He later died in a hospital.

The two were believed to be traveling together in the SUV earlier, and family members said they did not get along.

Villalvazo’s cousin, Juan Villasenor, said he was surprised it took so long to find the body because the suitcase was dropped along a busy interstate.

UPDATE VI: Utah woman still missing 1 month after disappearance.

A month after Elizabeth Elena Laguna-Salgado disappeared while walking from school in downtown Provo to her apartment, her family is getting increasingly desperate to find the young woman.

So far, no trace of the 26-year-old has turned up despite searches by police and scores of volunteers, an offer of a $15,000 reward and pleas for information from Laguna-Salgado’s loved ones and others, including Elizabeth and Ed Smart.

In an email sent Wednesday, the missing woman’s sister, Sara Yazmin Laguna-Salgado, who lives in the family’s hometown of Chiapas, Mexico, said, “Please help us, the situation is killing us, we have so much pain.”

UPDATE VII: Provo Police Department (Facebook)

We would like to update the community on the search for Elizabeth Elena Laguna Salgado. The following is a list of investigative efforts that have been completed up to this point. It is important to note, that the following list is not all-inclusive as we cannot release all investigative measures without compromising some portion of the investigation. We would like the community to know however, that certain investigative measures were not listed below in order to preserve the integrity of the investigation and to protect Elena.

We have:

1. Obtained information on the Noman Language School, including classmates and instructors.
2. Interviewed students/instructors at the school.
3. Searched the route Elena took to and from school, (from 100 N 400 W to 1800 N 450 W) including homes, yards, and local business locations.
4. Searched the route for possible video systems.
5. Put up and passed out flyers along the same route.

[...]

30. The Provo Police Dept. has contacted and received assistance from the following agencies:
FBI
INS
Homeland Security
The Attorney General’s Office
Orem PD
Salt Lake City PD
DEA
UTA Police
Utah County Sheriff’s Office
Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office
Heber PD
US Marshalls Office
Utah County Attorney’s Office
Utah Highway Patrol
31. The Provo Crime analyst is currently working with the SIAC crime analyst network for the western US following intel and possible matches to this incident.
32. Currently there are 30 members of the Provo Police Department actively working this case. As of this date, over 3500 hours have been dedicated toward finding Elizabeth.
33. As of 5/13/15, the Provo Police Dept. has followed up on over 118 tips from concerned citizens.

If anyone has any information about Laguna-Salgado is asked to call Provo police at 801-852-6210.

Remains Found Near the Virginia-North Carolina Border in Search for Virginia College Student Anjelica “AJ” Hadsell, Missing Since 3/2/15 (Update: Remains Positively Identified)

Grim news in the search for missing Anjelica “AJ” Hadsell …

As reported at Fox News 7, remains have been found by authorities in the search for missing 18 year old Longwood University student Anjelica “AJ” Hadsell.  Human remains were found beside an abandoned house in the high grass near the border with North Carolina while searching the property south of Franklin, about 50 miles west of the Hardell’s home in  Norfolk, Virginia. The remains have yet to be positively ID’s and have been sent to medical examiners office.  Anjelica “AJ” Hadsell went missing March 2, 2015 while at her parents’ home in Norfolk’s Tarrallton neighborhood.

Authorities searching for a missing Virginia college student said Thursday that they had found human remains beside an abandoned house near the border with North Carolina.

Norfolk Police spokeswoman Cpl. Melinda Wray told the Virginian-Pilot newspaper that investigators have not confirmed that the remains are those of 18-year-old Anjelica Hadsell, who has been missing since March 2. The paper reported that family and friends had gathered at Hadsell’s family home in Norfolk to await news from police, and a patrol car was parked outside.

Neighbors told the paper that police began searching the property south of Franklin, about 50 miles west of Norfolk, Wednesday evening, then returned Thursday morning. The remains were found in an area of waist-high grass beside the house. In the afternoon, the paper reported that investigators focused their search on a wooded area behind the house.

Remains found in search for Norfolk’s AJ Hadsell.

Neighbors said police began searching the property Wednesday, left and returned Thursday morning.

Officer Sam Shenouda, a department spokesman, said police began searching the area about 8 a.m. Thursday.

The remains were found about 10 a.m.

Police marked off the area in the morning with police tape. By the afternoon, investigators seemed to be focusing most of their attention on a heavily wooded area behind the small house.

“We’ll be out here for a couple days,” Shenouda said. “The property is overgrown, mostly wooded. They’re literally going to be combing through every inch of this property searching for evidence.”

Statement from Longwood University:

The Longwood University community is closely following news reports out of Tidewater concerning the search for our missing student, Anjelica “AJ” Hadsell. As we await further news, our thoughts and prayers remain with AJ’s family at this difficult time.

UPDATE I: Human remains identified as missing Virginia college student Anjelica Hadsell.

The search for missing Virginia college student Anjelica Hadsell has reached a grim end.

Human remains found behind an abandoned home have been identified as the Longwood University freshman who had been missing since last month, police announced Friday.

The tragic news comes one day after a search by authorities in waist-high grass near the North Carolina border recovered the remains. They were more than 50 miles away from where Hadsell was last seen on March 2.

In a statement the Norfolk Police Department expressed their “deepest sympathies” to the Hadsell family while thanking the federal, state and local agencies who assisted in the investigation.

UPDATE II: Bring AJ Home Statement:

This will be our only statement for the remainder of the day and will not be answering any questions.

On behalf of the Hadsell family we would like to first thank the Norfolk PD, Search and Rescue, donators, businesses, individuals and media that have helped with the search for Anjelica Hadsell. It has not been confirmed with the coroners office that it is in fact AJ. We ask that the media and public continue to respect the family in this time of adversity. Your thoughts and prayers for the Hadsell family are needed and appreciated.

We continue to ask that if you have any information regarding this case no matter how small it may be that you contact the local authorities.

A go fund me page has been created in regards to this case to help with the search and expenses which can found on the Bring AJ Home Facebook page. Any remaining donations at the conclusion will be donated on Anjelica’s behalf to an organization regarding missing persons once it is decided.

Thank you.

For more updates, read others comments and opinions and to provide your own, go to Scared Monkeys Missing Persons Forum: Anjelica “AJ” Hadsell.

Breaking: Germanwings A320 Flight 4U9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf Crashes in French Alps … 144 Passengers & 6 Crew Feared Dead (Update French President Says Likely No Survivors)

A Germanwings Flight 4U9525, Airbus A320 crash in French Alps near Digne, with 150 people on board, 144 passengers and 6 crew members. Germanwings is a low-cost, economy airline subsidiary of Lufthansa Airlines. Flight 4U9525 was traveling from Barcelona to Duesseldorf. According to sources quoted by AFP news agency, the plane had issued a distress call at 10:47 (09:47 GMT), 5:47 ET.  According to the flight tracking website Flightradar24, Germanwings Flight 4U9525 climbed to 38,000 feet before it started to descend, and the signal was lost at 6,800 feet. The A320 disappeared off the radar before crashing near Digne-les-Bains.

An Airbus operated by Lufthansa’s Germanwings budget airline crashed in southern France on Tuesday and all 148 on board were feared dead.

French President Francois Hollande said he believed none of those on board had survived.

“There were 148 people on board,” Hollande said. “The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, lead us to think there are no survivors.”

VIDEO – BBC

•  A Germanwings Airbus A320 has crashed in French Alps near Digne, with 148 people on board
• Flight 4U 9525 was travelling between Barcelona and Duesseldorf
• French President Francois Hollande said he believed none of those on board had survived
• Cologne-based Germanwings says it was aware of reports
• The low-cost airline owned by giant German carrier Lufthansa

Updates and Live reporting from the BBC.

Lufthansa Twitter

UPDATE I: French President Francois Hollande Says, ‘Apparently No Survivors’ After Passenger Plane Crashes in France.

French President Francois Hollande has expressed his “solidarity and condolences” with Germany in phone call to Angela Merke.

“I want to express my solidarity to the family of the victims. We do not yet know the identities of the victims. It is a mourning we have to go through because it is a tragedy that has happened on our soil,” he said.

UPDATE II:  Lufthansa, which owns Germanwings, released a statement:

“We do not yet know what has happened to flight 4U 9525. My deepest sympathy goes to the families and friends of our passengers and crew on 4U 9525. If our fears are confirmed, this is a dark day for Lufthansa. We hope to find survivors,” said Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr in the statement.

UPDATE III: Airbus A320 crash in the Alps: Francois Hollande says 148 feared dead, no survivors expected.

The Airbus A320, operated by the budget airline Germanwings, was en route from Barcelona to Dusseldorf when it vanished from radar screens at 09.39 local time.

Flight GWI18G came down near Prads-Haute-Bléone, between Digne-les-Bains and Barcelonnette, north-west of Monaco. It was flying at just 6,800ft at the time and Bernard Cazeneuve, the French interior minister, said debris had been found at an altitute of 6,500ft.

A distress signal, thought to have been sent by aircraft’s automatically-activated crash position indicator, was picked up at 10.47 local time, showing that the aircraft was “at 5,000ft in an abnormal situation”, said Alain Vidalies, the French transport minister.

Pic – UK Telegraph

UPDATE IV: Why did 9525 plummet from 40,000ft?

The 24 year old plane, built by the French Airbus consortium, transmitted a distress signal at 9.47am local time,  with one unconfirmed report saying it was sent out at 6,800 feet.

The distress call, typically transmitted in a general aircraft emergency, did not give any additional information about the type of emergency.

The aircraft was flying at its normal cruising altitude of around 40,000 ft, but within 10 minutes made a staggeringly swift descent to around 6,200 feet.

This points to a major problem with the aircraft, and suggests the two pilots were struggling to control the plummeting aircraft.

This graph from FlightRadar24 shows how the plane lost altitude and speed prior to disappearing from the radar.

UPDATE V:  Bodies are being taken to a local village gym, it is being used as a temporary morgue as bodies are being recovered.

UPDATE VI: The crash site is a two and a half hour walk from the nearest settlement, and is inaccessible by land vehicles. Pics from rescue helicopter.

UPDATE VII: French officials said a police helicopter had located the crash site and first items of debris near the small town of Barcelonnette in the Alpes-de-Hautes-Provences.

UPDATE VIII - Total of 150 people on board Germanwings flight

Germanwings has confirmed the number of people on board as 150.

This includes 144 passengers and six cabin crew.