[Talon]

Two killed by Alpine tunnel fire
Two people have died in a fire that broke out in a road tunnel between Italy and France on Saturday evening.
Several vehicles were burnt in the Frejus Tunnel fire believed to have started in a lorry carrying tyres.

At least 17 people were treated for smoke inhalation, including six firefighters.

The 13km (eight-mile) tunnel, which carried 2m vehicles every year, has now been closed indefinitely, amid fears that some sections could collapse.

Both the dead are reportedly Slovene lorry drivers.

As rescue workers continue to serarch the tunnel, there are fears that more bodies could be found.

Tyre fire

The Frejus tunnel - one of the main transport arteries across the Alps, linking Lyon and Turin - was closed at 1845 (1645 GMT), French police said.

The fire broke out when the truck carrying tyres caught fire in the French end of the tunnel, about 1km from the border, about 45 minutes earlier, police said.

The fire is the latest to break out in one of Europe's Alpine road tunnels in recent years.

The worst was in 1999, when an inferno raged in the nearby Mont Blanc tunnel for two days, reaching temperatures of 1,000C (1,800F) and killing at least 39 people.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.u...ope/4610559.stm

[Dark_Lord]

The death toll could have been much worse. It' the third tunnel accident since 1999, including Mont Blanc, Gotthard and Frejus. those tunnels are deadly traps, however the installation of safe rooms in which to take shelter in case of fire saved many lives. the main problem is smoke, due to the still very unefficient air pumping systems. The tunnel wasn't however badly damaged. The main problem is due to the absence of safety tunnels. the Frejus tunnel, as also the Mont Blanc tunnel, bear the sign of their age, having been completed in the '50. At the time, traffic wasn't that bad, but nowadays the situation is rather critical, since such tunnels are not able to sustain such an heavy traffic.