Germanwings crash victims honoured on eve of anniversary

Barcelona : Hundreds of people in Spain and Germany took part in anniversary vigils Wednesday to mark theGermanwings tragedy in which a suicidal pilot crashed a plane into a mountainside, killing all 150on board.

Ceremonies were held at the airports in Barcelona from where the ill-fated plane took off on March 24, 2015, and in Dusseldorf, its intended destination in western Germany.

Plaques in memory of those killed when the airline went down in the French Alps were unveiled at both airports.

Dozens of relatives of the 50 Spanish victims, many dressed in black, attended the ceremony outside of Barcelona's Terminal 2 on the eve of the tragedy's first anniversary.

They were joined by emergency services workers who took part in the rescue operation as well as top officials including Spain's acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

"Transportation security must continue to be one of our main priorities," Rajoy said.

Flags flew at half mast and 149 candles were lit in memory of the passengers and crew who were kiled. 

Investigators said German co-pilot Andreas Lubitz waited until he was alone in the cockpit shortly after the flight took off then deliberately crashed the plane.

The 27-year-old had previously been treated for depression and suicidal tendencies and documents seized by prosecutors show he partly hid his medical history from employers.

"We want to avoid the repetition of catastrophes of this nature," said Silvia Chaves, who heads an association for the Spanish victims.

"We must work to improve security measures because we all know that in this case, they failed."