The memorial service for the 150 victims of Germanwings Flight 4U9525 was held at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany.
Roughly 1,500 people attended a memorial service for the victims of the Germanwings crash. The service, which was held at noon on Friday, took place at the Cologne Cathedral in Germany and was attended by diplomats and the families of the lost.
Around 500 family members attended the event. Most of the passengers were from Germany, but passengers from all over the world were on the flight including 35 Spanish nationals. German chancellor Angela Merkel, German president Joachim Gauck, president of the North Rhine-Westphalia Hannelore Kraft, Spanish transport minister Ana Pastor Julian, and French foreign minister Laurent Fabius also came to the service. Employees of Germanwings and Lufthansa were also in attendance, including Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, to pay respects to the crewmembers on the flight.
A total of 150 candles were lit in remembrance of the passengers and crew on board Germanwings Flight 4U9525, including a candle for co-pilot Andreas Lubitz. Lubitz, 27 years of age, allegedly flew the aircraft directly into the French Alps after obtaining sole control of the cockpit. His two parents were invited to the service, but they declined the invitation. They have not commented on the crash since the discovery of the voice recording that appeared to indicate Lubitz's intentional crash.
Though not conclusively proven, Lubitz deliberately flew the Germanwings plane into the French Alps after the other pilot exited the cockpit. Lubitz locked the cockpit door and started a sharp decent thereafter. According to medical records, the co-pilot suffered from ongoing depression during his employment at Germanwings.
The impact of the crash has made it difficult to retrieve the wreckage from the plane. The velocity of the plane was so great upon impact that debris and bodies were strewn about an area of about 5 acres.
Flags were held at half-mast at government buildings in Germany on Friday. The service was broadcasted nationally and is Germany's main service for those lost on the Germanwings flight.
