Germanwings plane crash: Co-pilot 'wanted to destroy plane'

 The co-pilot of the Germanwings flight that crashed in the French Alps, named as Andreas Lubitz, appeared to want to "destroy the plane", officials said.

Marseille prosecutor Brice Robin, citing information from the "black box" voice recorder, said the co-pilot was alone in the cockpit.

He intentionally started a descent while the pilot was locked out.

Mr Robin said there was "absolute silence in the cockpit" as the pilot fought to re-enter it.

He said air traffic controllers made repeated attempts to contact the aircraft, but to no avail. Passengers could be heard screaming just before the crash, he added.

Details are also emerging of the co-pilot's past - although his apparent motives for causing the crash remain a mystery.

Mr Lubitz, 28, had undergone intensive training and "was 100% fit to fly without any caveats", according to Carsten Spohr, the head of Lufthansa, the German carrier that owns Germanwings.

Mr Spohr said Mr Lubitz's training had been interrupted briefly six years ago but was resumed after "the suitability of the candidate was re-established".

A view of the cockpit of the Germanwings aircraft, photographed a few days before the crash

The Airbus 320 from Barcelona to Duesseldorf hit a mountain, killing all 144 passengers and six crew, after an eight-minute descent.

"We hear the pilot ask the co-pilot to take control of the plane and we hear at the same time the sound of a seat moving backwards and the sound of a door closing," Mr Robin told reporters.

He said the pilot, named in the German media as Patrick S, had probably gone to the toilet.