PARIS -- France opened an investigation Friday into the failure of security equipment and procedures to prevent a truck fire from turning into an inferno inside the Mont Blanc tunnel.
At least 35 people died in the blaze that burned for two days before firefighters managed to put it out on Friday. The 7.5-mile tunnel was equipped with 17 bunkers built to resist heat and smoke, at least for a couple of hours.But few of the victims made it so far. Most succumbed to the extreme heat and smoke in or around their vehicles.
It was the first deadly fire in the 34-year-old tunnel, which connects France and Italy under western Europe's highest peak.
On Friday, firefighters accompanied investigators wearing protective gear into the French entrance. The probe was ordered by French Transportation Minister Jean-Claude Gayssot.
The tunnel operator, Mont Blanc Tunnel and Highway, refused to answer questions on the matter Friday.
But a report last year by regional fire authorities concluded the ventilation system was insufficient and major fires deep in the tunnel would be hard to put out, the daily Le Monde newspaper reported in Saturday's editions.