Germanwings Crash: British victims’ families speak of devastating loss
Those who died in the Germanwings’ Airbus A320 crash included seven-month-old Julian Pracz-Bandres from Manchester who was killed alongside his mother Marina Bandres Lopez Belio, 37, originally from Spain.
Another of the Britons to lose their lives was senior quality manager Martyn Matthews, aged 50, from Wolverhampton who worked at Tipton, West Midlands.
A third Briton on the Barcelona to Dusseldorf flight was Paul Andrew Bramley, aged 28, who was originally from Hull and was studying hotel management in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Announcing that three Britons had died, the foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, said: “We cannot rule out the possibility that there are further British people involved.
“The level of information on the flight manifest doesn’t allow us to rule out that possibility until we’ve completed some further checks,” he added.
In the Commons, David Cameron, the prime minister, offered his “deepest condolences” to those who had lost loved ones in the crash.
Ms Bandres Lopez Belio’s husband Pawel Pracz said she had been visiting her family in Spain for her uncle’s funeral and bought the tickets at the last minute.
He said in a statement released by the Foreign Office: “I’m with my closest family in Manchester, and in close contact with our family in Spain at this very difficult time.
“We are devastated and would like to request that we be allowed to grieve in peace as a family without intrusion at this difficult time.”
The Foreign Office issued a statement on behalf of Mr Bramley’s family.
It said: “Paul was originally from Hull. He was studying hospitality and hotel management at Ceasar Ritz College in Lucerne and about to start an internship on April 1.
“Paul had just finished his first year at the college and had taken a few days holiday with friends in Barcelona, before flying back to the UK via Dusseldorf to meet his family.”
Mr Bramley’s mother, Carol, lives in Majorca and is currently in the UK, having flown over to meet him.
She said: “Paul was a kind, caring and loving son. He was the best son, he was my world.”
Mr Bramley’s father, Philip, who lives in Hull, said they are both deeply shocked and will miss him.
Ms Bandres Lopez Belio had been living in Manchester for seven years with Mr Pracz, both working in the film and video industry.
Mr Matthews had two grown-up children and his work at Tipton was for German automotive manufacturer Huf.
He is thought to have been travelling to Germany for a business meeting.
The Foreign Office issued a statement on behalf of the family of Mr Matthews.
The family said: “We are devastated at the news of this tragic incident and request that we are allowed to deal with this terrible news without intrusion at this difficult time.”
In the Commons, Mr Cameron said: “It is heart-breaking to hear about the schoolchildren, the babies, the families whose lives have been brought to an end.
“The Foreign Office is working urgently to establish whether any further British nationals were among those on board.”
The three Britons were among 150 on the Airbus plane to have lost their lives in the crash.
Searh goes on
French President Francois Hollande said yesterday that authorities would find out what caused the plane crash that killed 150 passengers on Tuesday in the French Alps.
Hollande also said that the envelope of a second black box had been found but that investigators were still searching for the box itself.
“Dear Angela, dear Mariano, rest assured ... we will find out everything and we will shed full light on the circumstances of this catastrophe,” Hollande told German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Spain’s Mariano Rajoy, who had jointly come to pay tribute to the victims.
A majority of victims are German or Spanish.
“France stands by you,” a visibly moved Hollande said.
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