A long-awaited verdict in the trial of 16 defendants over the 1999 Mont Blanc tunnel fire was expected today, more than six years after the blaze incinerated trucks and cars, killing 39 people.

A French state prosecutor today called for suspended prison sentences for some of the 16 defendants on trial for manslaughter in the deadly 1999 Mont Blanc tunnel fire.

Raimondas Rumsas has denied using drugs to achieve his third-place finish in the Tour de France.