More than 120 missing in Swiss crash

More than 120 people are now reported missing in the Gotthard Tunnel crash in Switzerland.

Eleven people have been confirmed dead and rescuers fear other bodies are lying incinerated in the inferno.

Some 128 people have been reported "missing" by family and friends, rising from an earlier figure of 80.

Authorities say the higher number reflects the fact worried people are phoning separate hotlines in different Swiss states.

The figure also includes people who have simply failed to make contact.

"It is highly improbable that there could be so many victims inside," said Bruno Winkler, fire chief from the southern Swiss town of Bellinzona.

"It is a scene of horror; a scene of total destruction; a scene of dreadful tragedy," said Swiss President Moritz Leuenberger.

He described the fire and indefinite closure of the 10.6 mile tunnel as a catastrophe for Switzerland.

The dead include the driver of the truck which caused the disaster when it veered out of control shortly after entering the tunnel and smashed into an oncoming truck carrying tyres.

Most of the victims died of suffocation, either in their vehicles or during their desperate attempts to reach safety. Authorities refused to speculate about the final casualty toll.