At least ten people were killed when two lorries collided and burst into flames in a tunnel under the Swiss Alps. Local police believe that the death toll could rise, amid fears that part of the tunnel ceiling may have collapsed in the accident.
Thick black smoke has been hampering fire fighters, as a blaze continues to rage in a 300-metre section of the tunnel which runs underneath the Swiss Alps. One of the trucks was carrying tyres.
One of the longest road tunnels in the world, the St Gotthard tunnel is the main north-south road link through the Swiss Alps. It does not have a central barrier to divide its two lanes of traffic heading in opposite directions. A separate service tunnel acts as an escape route for people on foot. On average, five serious fires occur each year in the tunnel, which was built in 1980 and carries on average about 18,700 vehicles every day.
