Tuesday, March 24, 1999. A fire breaks out in the Mont-Blanc tunnel, halfway between France and Italy. Out of control, the fire spread over three days, claiming the lives of 39 people of 9 different nationalities. A tragedy unique in the ...See moreTuesday, March 24, 1999. A fire breaks out in the Mont-Blanc tunnel, halfway between France and Italy. Out of control, the fire spread over three days, claiming the lives of 39 people of 9 different nationalities. A tragedy unique in the world: never before has a tunnel accident been so deadly, and never before have so many people died in the aftermath. Two years of police investigation and a lengthy trial revealed major material malfunctions and numerous human errors. But the tragedy, which had a profound effect on Chamonix, sent shockwaves well beyond the valley itself. A French parliamentary report identified some thirty at-risk tunnels in France, and called for concrete changes in the management of tunnel companies and in firefighting operations in confined spaces.
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