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Volvo faces tunnel death case
Page 7
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VOLVO WILL STAND trial this week charged with manslaughter for its part in the 1999 Mont Blanc tunnel fire which killed 39 people.
The truck manufacturer and 15 other defendants including a Belgian truck driver and the Italian and French companies which manage the tunnel are accused of offences including "manslaughter through clumsiness, imprudence, carelessness or negligence".
If found guilty management at the firms face fines and up to three years' jail.
The fire started Ma Volvo FH12 carrying flour and margarine in the middle of the 13km tunnel linking France and Italy — it raged for two days with temperatures reaching 1,000°C.
The prosecution claims the fire was caused by a lit cigarette stub, which was sucked into the truck's air vent: something which had caused other Volvos to catch fire.
They say the blaze was made worse by officials at the French end of the tunnel who continued to allow vehicles to enter, and by the Italians who turned on fans, blowing air in the direction of the fire which fanned the flames. More than 100 witnesses are expected to attend the trial in Belleville.
A Volvo Trucks spokesman says that at the time of delivery the truck had passed its rigorous quality testing procedures and was in perfect running order.
The firm's engineers blame the fire on a sudden oil leak: -However, the cause of the leakage has not been possible to determine. What we do know is that the fire did not start as a result of a design or manufacturing error."
The tunnel was closed down for more than three years.while it was rebuilt and new safety equipment was installed.