Evidence retrieved from the second black box discovered at the site of the Germanwings crash confirms co-pilot Andreas Lubitz repeatedly and deliberately accelerated the Airbus A320 as he used the automatic pilot to descend the plane, the French BEA air accident investigation agency has said.

The BEA said investigators are analysing the data retrieved from the flight recorder, which was found on Thursday. The agency said this new detail was based on initial readings and will continue to examine the data further.

killing all 150 passengers and crew on board.

French prosecutor Brice Robin reiterated their belief that he was conscious until the final moment of impact, and appears to have acted repeatedly to stop an excessive speed alarm from sounding, according to the Associated Press.

Dusseldorf prosecutors say Lubitz had searched online for suicide methods and for information about the security of cockpit doors in the weeks leading up to the air disaster.

The prosecutors' spokesman Ralf Herrenbrueck said on Thursday that search terms found

The flight data recorder was discovered by a mountain rescue officer in a spot that had been repeatedly searched.

Prosecutors say evidence from the cockpitvoice recorder suggests Lubitz locked the pilot out of the cockpit and intentionally crashed the plane into the French Alps,

on a tablet computer in his home included medical treatment, suicide methods, and cockpit doors and their security.

Lubitz, 27, suffered a severe depressive episode in the past and expressed concerns about his vision following a car crash in 2014, according to reports.