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A plane carrying 142 passengers and six crew has crashed in the southern French Alps en route from Spain to Germany. 

The Airbus A320 was flying from Barcelona to Dusseldorf when it disappeared from radar in the Alpes de Hautes Provence at around 11am (10am GMT).

Debris from the jet, operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget airline, was found near Barcelonnette, according to the French Interior Ministry. French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he understood between 142 and 150 people were on board and feared dead. 

'The cause is at present unknown,' he told reporters.

A spokesman for the DGAC aviation authority said the airplane crashed near the town of Barcelonnette about 100 km (65 miles) north of the French Riviera city of Nice. Lufthansa's Germanwings unit said it was as yet unable to verify reports of the crash.

The company tweeted: 'We have recently become aware of media reports speculating on an incident though we still do not have any own confirmed information.' The crashed A320 is 24 years old and has been with the parent Lufthansa group since 1991, according to online database airfleets.net. 

The local La Provence newspaper said the Airbus A320 was carrying 142 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew, citing aviation officials.  Lufthansa were not immediately available for a comment. Airbus had no immediate comment.