Airline Pledges Up to $54K for Crash Victims' Families

Families of those who died when a co-pilot apparently purposely crashed a Germanwings jet with 150 aboard into a mountain will receive an initial payment of up to $54,450, a company spokesperson confirmed to NBC News on Saturday. Lufthansa will send the money "as a preliminary payment" to cover immediate costs, the spokesman said, adding that the money would not have to be repaid. The announcement came as the investigation into the crash entered its fifth day on Saturday, with searchers scouring the crash site for any sign of a second black box. Investigators are also trying to determine why the aircraft's 27-year-old co-pilot Andreas Lubitz may have hidden a sickness from his employer.

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