Officials in Italy say it could be another forty eight hours until the tunnel under Mont Blanc is safe enough for a complete inspection and the final death toll is determined. This morning Italian firefighters who were among the thirty-five known to have died in the inferno were buried at Courmaywer.
When rescuers reached the centre of the 11 kilometre-long tunnel, they found 20 trucks and 11 cars trapped. They said their advance through the tunnel was hampered by cars lying across the two-lane gallery, an indication that motorists probably tried to flee in panic as the fire spread from a Belgian-registered truck carrying flour and margarine.
The tunnel, which links France and Italy has been closed since the fire began on Wednesday morning. The exact cause of the fire is not yet known.
