One dead after Frejus tunnel fire
Saturday, 4 June 2005 22:56
One person has died following a fire in the Frejus tunnel linking France and Italy.
A truck carrying tyres caught fire inside the 13km long tunnel.
A spokesman for Italian traffic police said the fire was still burning but rescue workers were beginning to put out the flames.
Firefighters had pulled several people suffering from smoke inhalation out of the tunnel, which was closed to traffic.
Eighteen people escaped from the French side of the tunnel, with six of those treated for smoke inhalation.
Four French firefighters had also been treated for smoke inhalation, with one transported to hospital.
Italian authorities said two kilometres of tunnel were left to explore.
The tunnel was completed in 1870 but has come under increasing strain in handling the growing amount of trans-Alpine traffic.
The blaze occurred despite safety measures put in place since a huge inferno erupted in the Mont Blanc tunnel between the two countries in 1999, killing 39 people.
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