Germanwings crash
Media gather on an airfield as helicopters from the French gendarmerie land during a search and recovery operation near the crash site of Germanwings Flight 9525 in the French Alps on Wednesday. Reuters

The deadly crash of Germanwings Flight 9525 dominated newspapers across the globe Wednesday as countries reacted to the fall of the Airbus 320 and the likely deaths of the 150 people on board. Media worldwide printed photos of plane debris strewn across the French Alps on their front pages while pushing out constant updates online. European outlets devoted the most coverage to the incident, especially Germany, where the plane was from and was going; France, where it crashed; and Spain, where it took off and many of its passengers lived. “The whole community is in shock,” wrote Neue Westfälische of Bielefeld, Germany. “On the streets there is no other issue.”

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"Why?" asks the front page of Heute, published in Vienna, Austria. Newseum/Heute
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"Nothing but debris and bodies," reads the front page of Libération, published in Paris. Newseum/Libération

On Wednesday, officials announced that the passenger manifest included 72 Germans, more than 30 Spaniards and two Americans, according to the Associated Press. Also on board were people from the United Kingdom, Mexico, Argentina, Australia and Belgium.

Die Welt, a German national daily, had 13 stories about the incident on its online homepage, and El País of Madrid had five plus a sidebar. The accident is “one of the worst tragedies Spanish travelers have suffered in recent decades,” the Spanish daily wrote in an editorial. Süddeutsche Zeitung of Munich set up an online forum, called “a book of condolence,” for people to react to and discuss the crash. L’Express of Paris created a running timeline of events on its homepage.

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The Wednesday front page of De Morgen, which is published in Brussels, Belgium. Newseum/De Morgen
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De Standaard, published in Brussels, Belgium, features debris on its front page Wednesday. Newseum/De Standaard

Several papers chose to focus on the safety of air travel. The Frankfurter Allgemeine of Frankfurt featured on its front page a story headlined “The dangers of flying,” and Süddeutsche Zeitung’s second story was an article about “When an aircraft is considered safe.”

De Standaard of Belgium sent a reporter to the scene to talk to people who heard and saw the crash. “There was a dull sound, similar to dynamite, which is used frequently in the region,” wrote Ine Roox. “So it was only when the news of the plane crash reached the village that the reality of the people penetrated.”

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The front page of the Metro, published in Porto Alegre, Brazil, reads "8 minute drop." Newseum/Metro
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"Flight to pain," reads the front page of El Espectador, published in Bogota, Colombia. Newseum/El Espectador

Press in some South American countries, especially Brazil, also gave significant space to the crash.

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The Wednesday front page of El Punt Avui, which is published in Girona, Spain. Newseum/El Punt Avui
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"We are all in mourning," reads the last line on the front page of Ara, published in Barcelona, Spain. Newseum/Ara
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"Doom in the Alps," reads the front page of Diário Catarinense, published in Florianópolis, Brazil. Newseum/Diário Catarinense

Asian nations reported mostly on other topics, though the Korea Times and Singapore's My Paper printed stories about Flight 9525 on their front pages without photos.

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The front page of My Paper, published in Singapore, on Wednesday. Newseum/My Paper

See other front pages from around the world here.

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