Tunnel blaze rescuers battle to recover bodies

Rescuers are battling to recover bodies from the Gotthard Tunnel blaze in Switzerland, amid uncertainty about the number of victims.

Firefighters have managed to control the fierce blaze caused by a truck collision in the longest road tunnel in the Alps.

They found the bodies of 11 people and feared that others lay incinerated in the inferno.

Swiss president Moritz Leuenberger described it as a scene of horror.

He said the fire and indefinite closure of the 10.6-mile tunnel was a catastrophe for Switzerland and Europe, given its importance as a link between the north and south of the continent.

Some 128 people have, so far, been reported missing by family and friends.

Bruno Winkler, Bellinzona's fire chief, said: "It is highly improbable that there could be so many victims inside."

Four of the known dead are German. Switzerland, Luxembourg, Italy and France each counted one victim.

The nationalities of the three others is not yet known.

The dead include the driver of the truck which is thought to have caused the accident.