First Photo Of Germanwings Crash Site Is Chilling

As more information emerges from the aviation disaster on Tuesday, the first images of the Germanwings plane crash site revealed the extent of a horrific damage. In a likely confirmation of authorities' worst fears that there are no survivors from the crash, the image shows considerable debris from the plane scattered across mountains on the French Alps, indicating a powerful impact.

Deputy Mayor of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Christophe Castaner tweeted in French after visiting the crash site:

Appalling images in this mountain landscape. There is nothing left but debris and bodies.

The low-cost Germanwings airbus crashed en route to Dusseldorf on Wednesday, 40 minutes after takeoff from Barcelona. 144 passengers and six crew members were on board; most of them are believed to be Germans, but Spain noted there were also Turkish and Spanish citizens on Flight 4U 9525. French President Francois Hollande told reporters that no one is expected to survive the crash.

The conditions of the accident, which have not yet been clarified, lead us to think there are no survivors.

Officials have deployed emergency services for recovery efforts, though the location of the crash makes access difficult. A spokesman for the French Interior Ministry said that the crash site, at 2,000 meters (or 6,500 feet) altitude and in a highly remote area, meant that the search and rescue operation will be "extremely long and extremely difficult."