Breaking news reports from various news agencies are mixed about a report from the French Alps that a mobile phone had been found that contains a video of the final moments of the doomed Germanwings flight.
According to most reports, the video was shot from the back of the plane, and ties in with official accounts of the cockpit recording that prompted investigators to conclude co-pilot Andreas Lubitz locked the captain out of the cockpit and then intentionally crashed the aircraft into the side of a mountain.
European newspapers - Bild from Germany and Paris Match, fropm France are reporting they have seen the video and claim it was leaked by in informant close to the head of the investigation team.
“Metallic banging can also be heard more than three times, perhaps of the pilot trying to open the cockpit door with a heavy object. Towards the end, after a heavy shake, stronger than the others, the screaming intensifies. Then nothing,” reports the French newspaper.
An American news agency claims it has been told the video is a fake by French police. However, Julian Reichelt, editor-in-chief of Bild online, stands by the tabloid’s reporting and has seen the video. He called it a “very disturbing scene.” He told American TV news Channel CNN that both his paper and the Paris Match are “very confident” the video is real. He also pointed out that officials had not confirmed any cellphones were recovered until reports of the video emerged.