Repair contractors were due to have the Mont Blanc Tunnel handed over to them by investigating magistrates as T&T International went to press. Repair of the damaged 600m tunnel length are expected to cost up to $160m and to take over a year. The hand-over follows a recent re-enactment of the fire that killed 42 people last year (May ’99). The fire was staged under identical conditions as the original but was allowed to burn for only 15 minutes. Results are to be used in the investigation to determine the gases that may have lead to the fatalities.
