Hundreds gather near Germanwings crash site to mark anniversary

Luftansa CEO Carsten Spohr, left, Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann, right, and Stephanie Schroeder, centre, representative of the German Transport ministry, lay a wreath of flowers at the Vernet memoShow more

Le Vernet, France // Six hundred people gathered in a tiny village in the French Alps on Thursday to mark one year since their loved ones died when a Germanwings co-pilot deliberately crashed his plane into the mountainside, killing all 150 people on board.

The commemoration started with a private ceremony followed by a minute of silence. Families could choose to make the gruelling pilgrimage to the crash site on the mountain overlooking Le Vernet.

A wreath-laying was to be the only public moment as families of victims – mostly German and Spanish – mark the grim day.

The flight was en route from Barcelona to Duesseldorf when co-pilot Andreas Lubitz, 27, locked the pilot out of the cockpit and thrust the aircraft into an accelerated dive. France’s accident investigating body said in a report released this month that Lubitz’s remains bore traces of anti-depressants and a sleeping medication.

“It happened on our mountains, and we have victims’ families visiting us every week, families who come and pay tribute,” said Le Vernet mayor Francois Balique.

Villagers in Le Vernet and nearby Prads-Haute-Bleone have taken on the role of second family for many of the grieving.

“Today, this bond is still alive, this friendship between the families and ourselves, we want to make it last, it’s very important for us. The role we set for ourselves is to accompany the families each time they come here, and comfort them as they mourn,” said Prads-Haute-Bleone mayor Bernard Bartolini.

A red stake planted in the soil marks the exact site where the plane went down.

One young German woman had already made a six-hour journey to the site to honour her daughter, one of a group of high school students killed in the crash.

“At first, I did not think I would ever fly again,” she said, asking not to be named.

Investigators found that Lubitz had a history of depression and suicidal tendencies and the case has raised questions about medical checks faced by pilots as well as doctor-patient confidentiality.

Lubitz was allowed to continue flying despite having been seen by doctors dozens of times in the years preceding the crash.

After the tragedy, the European Aviation Safety Agency recommended that airlines ensure at least two crew members, including at least one qualified pilot, are in the cockpit at all times.

* Agence France-Presse and Associated Press