PARIS: An Airbus A320 plane crashed on Tuesday in the southern French Alps, police and aviation officials said, according to an AFP report.

Sources said the plane belonged to Germanwings, an affiliate of German airline Lufthansa, travelling between Barcelona and Dusseldorf. The single-aisle A320 typically seats 150 to 180 people.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he understood between 142 and 150 people were on board and feared dead. "The cause is at present unknown," he told reporters. 

According to reports, 142 passengers and 6 crew members were on board the flight.

No survivors are expected in the plane crash, French President Hollande said.

The French interior ministry said some debris has been found, AFP reported.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he understood between 142 and 150 people were on board and feared dead. 

"The cause is at present unknown," he told reporters. 

A spokesman for the DGAC aviation authority said the airplane crashed near the town of Barcelonnette about 100 km (65 miles) north of the French Riviera city of Nice. 

Lufthansa's Germanwings unit said it was as yet unable to verify reports of the crash. 

The crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa group since 1991, according to online database airfleets .