BREAKING!! Passenger Plane Crashes In Southern France With 148 People On Board

A passenger plane has crashed in France, with all 148 people on board thought to have died.

The Airbus A320, operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline, came down in the southern French Alps, between Barcelonnette and Digne.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the causes of the crash were not yet known.

"We of course don't know the reasons for the crash," he told reporters.

"We obviously fear that the 142 to 150 passengers and crew died today, given the conditions of this crash."

France's interior ministry says debris from the airliner has been found near a village in the region.

A total of 142 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew, were on board the plane.

Mr Valls said he had activated the ministerial crisis cell to help coordinate the aftermath of the crash. He added that he had sent Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to the site of the incident.

Germanwings says it cannot confirm the reports. Airbus has yet to comment.