Family, loved ones gather to mourn at Germanwings crash site

Loved ones of victims in the Germanwings plane crash that killed all 150 people aboard arrived today at a memorial near the disaster site to honour the dead.

Forty-eight family members and friends of people who perished in the Barcelona to Duesseldorf flight on March 24 travelled to the village of Le Vernet in the French Alps, where they were met by officials from the Lufthansa-owned low cost carrier.

Searches for the remains of victims have now ceased, officials said, with police and rescue workers still combing the crash site looking for personal effects.

During the coming week, removal of larger parts of the plane is expected to begin.

On Thursday the second black box recorder was found amid the wreckage, with subsequent analysis of its contents supporting earlier evidence that co-pilot Andreas Lubitz deliberately flew the plane into the mountain.

According Brice Robin, the French prosecutor overseeing the investigation, the DNA of 150 people on board has been collected from the crash site. That data will soon be compared with genetic samples provided by their families, with the aim of confirming the identies of those who perished.