Berlin, March 24 (IANS): The German foreign ministry announced on Tuesday that it had set up a crisis team to deal with the plane crash of German budget airline Germanwings.

"Our thoughts are with those fearing that their loved ones are among the victims," Xinhua news agency quoted German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier as saying in a statement, calling the plane crash "terrible news".

Germanwings flight 4U9525, Airbus A320, with 148 passengers and crew on board was en route from Barcelona in Spain to Dusseldorf in Germany when it crashed around 11 a.m. in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence in the southern France Alps

The German foreign ministry said it had opened a crisis hot line at the number 0049-30-50003000.

Earlier on Tuesday, Germanwings' parent company Lufthansa said it has not confirmed what happened to flight 4U9525, and was reported to have crashed in southern France.

"If our fears are confirmed, this is a dark day for Lufthansa. We hope to find survivors," the company said on its Twitter account.

The websites of Germanwings and Duesselfdorf airport have crashed. The airport said it has opened a hot line at the number 0049-800-7766350 for "concerned persons".