The co-pilot of Germanwings flight 4U9525 "intentionally" sent the plane into a descent and was in sole control of the aircraft in the minutes before it crashed in the French Alps killing all 150 people on board, French prosecutors say.

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Marseille Prosecutor Brice Robin, in charge of the investigation, confirmed reports that the captain left the cabin minutes before the crash and was unable to get back in.

He said pounding could be heard on the door during the final minutes of the flight as alarms sounded to signal that the aircraft was nearing land.

Robin said information pulled from the black box cockpit recorder suggested that the co-pilot, identified as German citizen Andreas Lubitz, refused to open the cabin's door and "intentionally'' sent the plane into its doomed descent.

The recording showed that the captain and co-pilot talked normally and "courteously" for the first 20 minutes of the flight after it took off from Barcelona.

"Then we hear the pilot ask the co-pilot to take the controls and a seat being pulled back and a door closing. We can assume he left to answer nature's call," said Robin.

"The co-pilot is left alone at the controls. We hear several calls from the pilot asking for entry into the cockpit. There is no response from the co-pilot."

The co-pilot did not say a word once the captain left the cockpit and his breathing was normal throughout the final minutes of the flight, Robin added.

Relatives heading for crash site

Lubitz, 28, had worked for Germanwings, a low-cost subsidiary of German carrier Lufthansa, since September 2013, a Lufthansa spokeswoman said Thursday.

The Marseille prosecutor refused to give details on his religion or ethnic background, adding that German authorities were taking charge of that part of the investigation.

"Nothing at this stage suggests this was a terrorist act," he said.

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Tuesday's crash in a remote part of the French Alps killed 144 passengers and the crew of six.

Robin said passengers were unaware of the impending crash "until the very last moment" and died "instantly".

He said screams could be heard on the recording only in the final seconds.

A Lufthansa plane carrying 62 victims’ relatives arrived in Marseille on a flight from Barcelona earlier on Thursday, while two other planes carrying family members of the German victims left from Dusseldorf airport.

Lufthansa officials said they would meet up with 14 others who decided not to fly to France and instead took an overnight bus from Barcelona provided by the airline.

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