1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198 
Frejus fire set to cause chaos over the Alps
Page 10
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
nternational hauliers could be facing a year of delays after a tunnel fire n the Alps closed a major crossing point. Chris Tindall reports.
)NE OFthe major alpine crossing )oints between France and Italy is Josed following a fatal truck fire.
A truck carrying tyres through he Frejus tunnel caught fire and .everal other vehicles were ngulfed,killing two people.
The blaze, thought to be caused 3y a fuel leak, swept through the unnel. Officials think it will .emain closed for up to a year, ausing problems for drivers try ing to navigate the Alpine route.
The fire started on 4 June about halfway through the 13km Frejus tunnel which links MorKlane in the France with Bardonecchia in Italy.
Unofficial reports suggest the truck, which was transporting tyres from Belgium to southern Italy, had a leak in its turbo compressor, which spilled diesel on to the motor. The truck's two Slovenian drivers died and several others suffered from smoke inhalation.
A legal and technical investigation will now take place.
In the meantime traffic is being sent through Vintimille (normally used for transporting dangerous goods) and the Mont Blanc tunnel. This has prompted fears of renewed protests by residents in the Chamonix valley who want truck traffic banned from the tunnel.
A spokesman for the Interna tional Road Transport Union says the Frejus tunnel is the more popular route for hauliers, due to its accessibility and width.
Neil Henson, director for EM Rogers inNorthampton,whichsends U p 10 35 trucks through the tunnel each week,says alternativeroutes are limited: "We will have to reschedule accordingly, using switzerland or the Mont Blanc [tunnell".
cliristopher.tindall@rbi.coatk