Germanwings air crash — in pictures

Helicopters took off from a nearby improvised base, heading for the rugged area where flight 4U9525 crashed Tuesday, spreading debris and body parts of the victims over a wide area. Claude Paris / AP Photo

Gendarmerie and French mountain rescue teams arrive near the site of the Germanwings plane crash site. Patrick Aventurier / Getty Images

Debris of the Germanwings passenger jet was scattered on the mountain side near Seyne les Alpes, French Alps. Claude Paris / AP Photo

Officials are looking for clues to why the plane, operated by German flag carrier Lufthansa’s budget subsidiary, entered a fatal eight-minute descent on its route between Barcelona and Duesseldorf. Denis Bois / AFP Photo

No distress signal was sent and the crew failed to respond to desperate attempts at contact from ground control. Denis Bois / AFP Photo

The cockpit voice recorder recovered from the wreckage has been found damaged and has been taken to Paris for analysis. Denis Bois / AFP Photo

Debris was strewn across the mountainside, pieces of twisted metal smashed into tiny bits. Patrick Aventurier / Getty Images

Video images from a government helicopter Tuesday showed a desolate snow-flecked moonscape, with steep ravines covered in scree. Patrick Aventurier / Getty Images

The plane was ‘destroyed’, a local member of parliament who flew over the site said, describing the scene as ‘horrendous’. Seen here is smoke billowing from scattered debris of the Germanwings Airbus A320. Denis Bois / AFP Photo

French rescuers resumed the search on Wednesday for the remains of the 150 people, including 16 schoolchildren, killed when a Germanwings Airbus slammed into the side of a nearly inaccessible mountain in the Alps.