Verdict due in Mont Blanc disaster trial

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 total of 12 individual defendants face up to three years in prison if convicted of manslaughter for the March 24, 1999 fire inside the Alpine passage, and four companies could face fines and other sanctions.