This is so terribly sad.

Thank you Anya I am glad it wasn't just me who was upset by the earlier references to "god's mercy".

Gill I agree. People invariably come out with this religious claptrap when children die

"Mercy" means easing off on the full punishment deserved and not insisting on exacting the full due. Mercy is not relevant to a plane crash.

God cannot prevent the automatic consequences of an action or event - except by a miracle, and those by definition are few and far between, otherwise they would not be miracles. I am afraid I don't believe that there would be divine intervention in this case, however dreadful and tragic the results were.

"God ...... would have spared them pain"

How would dying in such horrific circumstances be painless??

Let's not kid ourselves that there is anything 'merciful' about this plane crash.

Teetime I am stunned by your comments, and if you said that to me when I came to collect the remains of my teenage child I am afraid I would not appreciate your sentiments. What kind of god crashes a plane full of teenagers and others into a mountainside and leaves rescue workers to pick up the pieces, literally in this case?

"God is merciful" ???? Teetime

Not so merciful to have ensured it didn't happen in the first place though.

I know that this is probably not the place to raise such a point and apologies for anyone who thinks I am being disrespectful to those who have lost loved ones in this tragedy. But honestly. Where does god come into the equation?

It made me very tearful for the same reasons, GillT57. All three of our children did exchange trips. You never forget the excitement you felt on the day they were due to come home.

I also feel very sorry for the host Spanish families who would have waved them off assuming they would soon be safely home.

Like many on here I suspect, my children have been on exchange trips, and we have hosted visitors here too, so somehow it makes it even worse for me,. I know it possibly seems irrational, and no death is worse than another in a plane crash, but being able to identify with the parents of those teenagers, looking forward to hearing all about their trip, getting their room ready for their return, I cannot bear to think how awful it is for the families.

The imagination goes into overdrive thinking of the horror of the last 8 minutes before oblivion. It totally puts me off flying. Irrational I know but it really does.

Huge compassion and sympathies to all the bereaved and also to those tasked with finding and recovering the bodies. A dreadful job.

I feel so terribly sad for the relatives- how horrible to be constantly imagining what the end must have been like but have faith that God is merciful and would have spared them pain. I think all our thoughts are with them.

Shocking to read this morning that the plane had been grounded earlier for technical problems. Those poor poor people.

What a dreadful ending to something which was supposed to be a life enhancing holiday. So sad for all the parents who might well now be blaming themselves for allowing their sons and daughters to on the exchange trip. Apart from all the other passengers of course, and like loopylou one just hopes that it was very quick.

Horrible, I felt like crying when I heard, such a tragic waste of lives, I don't how families can cope. There seems to be so much sadness in the world.

A tragedy - none of it bears thinking about.

Heartbreakingly tragic, and unfathomable how yet another huge loss of life

So very sad.

Don't go there loopy. Too hard to bear.

I suppose it's too much to hope that no one would have known......

So sad.

Having been responsible for so many school exchanges and trips, driving the minibus with 6th Former, flying or travelling by coach- I just can imagine how those teachers felt as they realised things were badly wrong...
My heart goes to all the families.

My sister is flying to UK from Dusseldorf on Monday, it will be a sad place.

Too horrible.

Why do they have to put pictures of devastated relatives up. We can imagine.

I've been following it on the BBC, dreadful news indeed.

I'm so upset at hearing about yet another plane crash, those poor passengers and their families. No words can describe how they must feel, utterly tragic