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Severe doubts have been cast on the authenticity of a video which appears to show blurred and chaotic scenes within the Germanwings airbus just before it crashed last week.
The German newspaper Bild and the French magazine Paris Match both reported that they had seen the brief video, allegedly found in a mobile telephone memory card at the crash scene.
The Marseilles prosecutor Brice Robin, who is leading a judicial investigation of the crash, said that no memory cards from mobile telephones found at the crash site had yet been analysed. A senior gendarmerie officer, Jean-Marc Ménichini, said that reports of the existence of such a video, a few seconds long, were “false”.
A close-up of the wreckage showing a German flag at the crash site of an Airbus A320 Other investigation sources suggested that a memory card might have been picked up by a rescue worker and sold to the media rather than officially declared. But they said that they thought that it was more likely that the two publications had been hoaxed.
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crashShow all 66 1 /66In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Flowers are left in front of the monument in homage to the victims of Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 in Le Vernet, southeastern France
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Andreas Lubitz was deemed ‘unsuitable for flight duties’ for a period of time during his training with Lufthansa and was receiving regular treatment for depression, sources have claimed as investigators focus their inquiry on his personal life and background
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash People believed to be relatives of the deceased crew on Germanwings flight 4U9525 comfort each other at a reception centre in Le Vernet, France
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Rescue workers gather with friends and relatives of those killed onboard Germanwings flight 4U9525 at a reception centre in Le Vernet, France
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Flags representing some of the nationalities of the victims are seen as family members and relatives gather near the crash site of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash German and Spain flags symbolizing some of the nationalities of the victims are seen as family members and relatives gather for a ceremony in Le Vernet near the crash site of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Flags symbolizing some of the nationalities of the victims, are seen near the memorial stele in Le Vernet during a ceremony to pay tribute to the victims of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash French gendarmes and investigators make their way through debris from wreckage on the mountainside at the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash French gendarmes and investigators work amongst the debris of the Airbus A320 at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash French gendarmes and investigators make their way through the debris of the Airbus A320 at the site of the crash near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Wreckage of the Airbus A320 is seen at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A body of a victim is evacuated by a French Gendarmerie rescue helicopter from the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Rescue workers recover bodies of victims from the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash French military personnel work amongst the debris of the Airbus A320 at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A helicopter of the French Gendarmerie flies over the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps, above the town of Seyne-les-Alpes, southeastern France
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Search and rescue workers make their way through debris at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps, above the town of Seyne-les-Alpes, southeastern France
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Flowers and lit candles are placed on the ground in Cologne Bonn airport
Reuters
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Victims’ relatives join carers outside the school gym in Seyne
Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, left, and Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann arrive for a press conference near the Germanwings headquarters in Cologne, Germany
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot that crashed the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
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In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Buses loaded with relatives of victims are escorted after their arrival at Marseille airport, southern France
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Family and relatives of the victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the Alps are taken on bus to the Prat airport from a hotel in Castelldefels in Barcelona, Spain, to take a Lufthansa flight to visit the crash site in Seyne les Alps in France
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash An Airbus plane of German airline Lufthansa carrying onboard relatives of the Germanwings plane crash victims takes off from the Duesseldorf airport in Duesseldorf, western Germany, en route to Marseille
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A Germanwings employee places flowers in commemoration of the victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps, at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Members of German Government Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, from right, hold a minute of silence to commemorate the victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Realtives of passengers of the Germanwings airliner that crashed in the French Alps leave the Gran Hotel Rey Don Jaime towards Barcelona El Prat airport where a lufthansa plane will fly to Marseille, in Barcelona, Spain
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Olivier Cousin (R), director of the mountain rescue team, which is responsible for the safety of the emergency workers on site, gives an interview in Seyne Les Alpes, France
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Alpine climbers take off in a police helicopter in Seyne Les Alpes
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L), French President Francois Hollande (C) and Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy pay respect to victims in front of the mountain in Seyne-les-Alpes, the day after the air crash of a Germanwings Airbus A320
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A member of the search and rescue personnel stands at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Search and rescue personnel at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Reuters
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A sealed container holds black box from the German Airbus operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget Airbus A320 crash
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash The voice data recorder of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed in the French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash The voice data recorder of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed in the French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings employees cry as they place flowers and lit candles outside the company headquarters in Cologne Bonn airport
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A student who knew some of the German students involved in a crashed plane, reacts during a minute of silence in front of the council building in Llinars del Valles, near Barcelona, Spain
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Photograph of victims, flowers and candles stand outside the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium high school where pupils had gathered to pay tribute to 16 students and two teachers from the school who were on Germanwings flight 4U9525 that crashed yesterday in southern France on March 25, 2015 in Haltern, Germany
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Pupils gather at the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium high school to pay tribute to 16 students and two teachers from the school who were on Germanwings flight 4U9525 that crashed yesterday in southern France in Haltern, Germany
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Students gather in front of the Josef-König secondary school in Haltern am See, western Germany, where some of the Germanwings plane crash victims studied
Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A Lufthansa employee signs in a condolence book in Frankfurt, Germany
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash The flags of (L-R) Aragon, Spain and the European Union are lowered to half-mast at the Regional Assembly of Aragon in Zaragoza, Spain, as a sign of respect for the victims of the German plane crash in the French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash The German and the European Union flags hang at half mast in memory of the victims of the plane crash in France in front of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin, Germany
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash French President François Hollande with Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia pay their respects to the victims of the German plane crash in the French Alps
Reuters
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Debris from the Germanwings Airbus A320 at the crash site in the French Alps above the southeastern town of Seyne
Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Search and rescue personnel at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Wreckage and debris lie on the mountain slopes after the crash of the Germanwings Airbus A320 over the French Alps
EPA
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Staff members of Germanwings and Lufthansa hold a candlelight vigil outside their headquarters in Cologne
Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A photo provided by the French Gendarmerie shows the crash site in the French Alps
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A rescue helicopter from the French Gendarmerie flies over the French Alps, as day fades into night near to the crash site of the Airbus A320
Reuters
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A general view of the crash site of a Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps above Seyne-les-Alpes is pictured in this photo provided by the French Gendarmerie
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Family members of people involved in a crashed plane arrives at the Barcelona airport in Spain
AP/Emilio Morenatti
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Rescue helicopters from the French Gendarmerie and the Air Force are seen in front of the French Alps during a rescue operation near to the crash site
Reuters
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A helicopter of the French National Gendarmerie is seen in Seyne, south-eastern France, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash French emergency services workers (back) and members of the French gendarmerie gather in Seyne, south-eastern France, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash An helicopter of civil security services is seen in Seyne, south-eastern France, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Relatives of passangers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrive escorted by police officer at Terminal 2 of Barcelona El Prat airport in Barcelona
David Ramos/Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Relatives of passangers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrive at Terminal 2 of Barcelona El Prat airport in Barcelona, Spain
David Ramos/Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Relatives of passengers killed in Germanwings plane crash arrive at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
AP/Frank Augstein
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Police escort a family member of an aircrash victim at Barcelona's El Prat airport
LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash French firefighters prepare to take-off in Digne-les-Bains for the crash site of an Airbus A320, in the French Alps
REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A family member of a passenger killed in Germanwings plane crash reacts as he arrives at Barcelona's El Prat airport
REUTERS/Albert Gea
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash People arrive at a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers on Germanwings flight 4U9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf at Dusseldorf International Airport in Dusseldorf, Germany
Sascha Steinbach/Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash People waiting for flight 4U 9525 are lead away by airport staff at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A relative (C) of passangers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrives at the Terminal 2 of the Barcelona El Prat airport
David Ramos/Getty Images
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash A man who appears to have waited for the missing flight 4U 9525 reacts at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
AP/Frank Augstein
In pictures: Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash Germanwings Airbus A320 plane crash epa04676936 A man looks at a monitor showing a map released on the webpage 'flightradar24 with the exact point where the radar signal of the crashed Airbus A320 aircraft operated by German budget airline 'Germanwings' went missing near Barcelonnette, in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in Madrid, Spain
EPA
Mr Robin said: “All (mobile phones) are for now being kept at Seynes-Les-Alpes. If people at the site have picked up mobile phones, I am not aware of it.”
“If there is someone out there who has such a video, he or she has a duty to hand it to the investigation without delay."
Both Bild and Paris Match defended their stories. In an interview on the French magazine’s website, Frédéric Helbert, an investigative reporter, said that he had watched the “chilling” short film dozens of times.
Flowers at the air crash memorial to Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 in Le Vernet, south-eastern France (EPA/GUILLAUME HORCAJUELO) Searchers work to collect debris and find the second black box at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps, 29 March 2015 (EPA) The video, described by Bild as being "indisputably authentic", shows a blurred aircraft interior and has sounds of loud banging. Voices are heared to say “my God” in several languages. The cabin of the aircraft tilts. There are screams and the brief footage ends.
The development comes after Germanwings' parent company, Lufthansa, said yesterday that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who has been accused of crashing the plane, halted his pilot training for several months, and later provided the airline's flight school with a medical documents showing that he had gone through a "previous episode of severe depression."
Lubitz later passed medical checks confirming his fitness to fly, Lufthansa said.
The development comes after Dusseldorf state prosecutors said today that Lubitz had been treated for suicidal tendencies before getting his pilot's licence.
Last week, questions surrounding Lubtiz’ mental health came to the fore after police found torn-up sick notes at his home, showing that he was suffering from an illness that meant he should not have been at work.
Germanwings had not received a sick note from Lubitz for the day of the crash, and he had a valid medical certificate at the time of the crash of the Airbus A320 operated by its budget unit, Lufthansa added.
The Lufthansa and Germanwings chief executive visited the crash scene in the French Alps yesterday and left wreaths at a memorial to the 150 victims. The Lufthansa boss, Carsten Spohr, said that it will "take a long, long time to understand” why the co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, crashed the Barcelona Dusseldoef flight deliberately.
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