Protesters block Mont Blanc tunnel traffic

Thousands of environmental protesters opposed to the reopening of the Mont Blanc tunnel to heavy trucks today blocked all traffic on the French side of the Alpine passage.

The green light for allowing heavy trucks through the tunnel linking France and Italy was the final phase of the gradual reopening if this vital economic link since a 1999 tunnel fire killed 39 trapped people.

But, shortly after dawn, cars and other vehicles were directed to the nearby Frejus passage as thousands of protesters blocked the way to Mont Blanc.

‘Chamonix, a mountain-climbing capital, not a truck capital’, read one sign carried by the protesters who marched from the resort to the tunnel’s access ramp, two miles from the entrance.

On the Italian side, protesters laid bales of hay along the road leading to the tunnel in an effort to block traffic. Only the security lane was left free in case of an emergency.

In March 1999, 39 people were killed after a truck caught fire and burned for two days while firefighters tried to reach cars and people trapped inside the 7.4 mile tunnel.

The tunnel was rebuilt with numerous safety features, including firefighters stationed permanently at each end and in the middle.

Car traffic resumed three years later, in March. Small-sized trucks and tourist buses started using the tunnel in April, and trucks weighing 19-26 tons were given the go-ahead in May.

Today, large trucks - with the exception of those carrying dangerous substances - were authorised to use the tunnel.