勃朗峰隧道

I want to ask you a question

After entering the tunnel

Do you suddenly feel a sense of fear?

Whether by train or car

From the moment you enter the tunnel

It's like entering another world

Radio stops

No signal of cell phone

Only the roar and wind

from passing vehicles

It feels like in hell

When I was young,

I once yearned to enter the tunnel

I only know when I grow up

such a closed environment

If something really happened

The difficulty of rescue is

dozens of times higher

compared to the outside

The tunnel fire over 20 years ago

explains everything

High temperature fireball

of more than 1000 degrees Celsius

attacked everyone in the tunnel

The entire tunnel turned into a furnace

The poisonous smoke that followed

made it a giant chimney

It's a terrible tragedy

So why is there a fire in the tunnel?

How does it gradually evolve into

the uncontrollable situation?

then, let's check out

the most terrifying tunnel fire ever

The Mont Blanc tunnel opened in 1965

The total length is 11.6 km

It was established in cooperation

between France and Italy

Each side operated half of the tunnels

Before the accident

80,000 to 90,000 vehicles

passed by here every year

Especially the number of heavy trucks

was increasing year by year

The Mont Blanc tunnel had become

The busiest tourist and trade route

between Northern and Southern Europe

Unlike the Channel Tunnel

has three separate pipes

which also includes a booster duct

and emergency evacuation points

The Mont Blanc tunnel

has only one double lane

Exclude a shelter every 600 meters

There's no other safety equipment

These flaws were also inconspicuous

in day-to-day operations

Until the fire

completely exposed all security risks

March 26, 1999

A truck loaded with margarine and flour

drove into the tunnel on the French side

Its destination was an Italian food factory

The driver's name is Gilbert Degrave

from Belgium

As an experienced driver

It's familiar for him

to drive through here

At 10:46 am

Gilbert entered the tunnel as usual

But there was smoke

coming from the back of the car.

Since there's not much smoke

Gilbert didn't care much

after seeing it in the rearview mirror

He thought it was exhaust

Until other drivers honked their horns

frantically to remind him

It was only when Gilbert noticed that

there was smoke behind him.

He pulled over quickly

Turn on the warning lights

There were already many private cars

to turn around and get out of the tunnel

But other big cars were not so flexible.

Thick smoke has set off

the tunnel's smoke alarms

But the operator did not take any action

It is said to be because of

the radio frequencies inside the tunnel

frequent failures

Often made smoke detectors false alarms

So the operator did not respond the first time

But this time is for real

Gilbert jumped out of the car in a hurry

He wanted to put out with a fire extinguisher.

But the fire has spread to the cab

He had to abandon the car and run away

Everything happened too fast

A truck of butter and flour

is like a big bomb,

engulfed by fire

followed by a huge explosion

And the most deadly

Since it is in the middle of the tunnel

The 20 cars that followed were also in a dilemma

10:54

Someone called the Italian control center

Immediately,

Toll booths in France and Italy closed in sequence

Firefighters dispatched to the scene

But it's too late

The temperature in the vicinity

of the accident vehicle at this time

had reached over 1,000 degrees Celsius

The explosion sent butter and flour

splattering everywhere

became a combustion accelerant

The carbon monoxides produced by smoke

couldn't get out in such a narrow tunnel

It's enough to be poisoned in seconds

Some people opened the windows

to try to see what's ahead,

fainting from inhaling a lot of smoke

Others had abandoned their cars and fled

but fainted while escaping

never get up again

The sudden fire terrified everyone

The sound of explosions is endless

The black smoke blocked people's vision

Lighting didn't work anymore

The cable cement was also starting to fall

Gasoline leaking from the fuel tanks

into the gutter

The flames started to spread

To help the vehicles inside escape

The toll crossing on the Italian side

was opened first

But they did something wrong in a hurry

The influx of air intensified the fire

caused a chimney effect

The ventilation system blew

thick black smoke out of the tunnel

Devoured those struggling to escape

It's getting worse

There's not much oxygen left in the tunnel

All vehicle engines were turned off

The fire only increased

The trapped people had to try their best

to hide in the shelter

But they all face the problem of hypoxia

The first group of firefighters entered the tunnel

The scene made everyone stunned

Thick smoke has flooded the tunnel entrance

Charred wreckage blocked the way

Plus the wires in the tunnel had melted

It's dark inside

Visibility less than half a meter

Therefore, at a distance of 1 km

from the vehicle that caused the accident

Firefighters were running out of oxygen

They're afraid they'll die too

However, shelters are not 100% safe.

People can stay for a few hours at most

5 hours later

Several survivors and firefighters

Rescued from underground ventilation shaft

The flame can be blown away by the airflow

The explosions

hindered the pace of

the second batch of firefighters

As the fire continued to spread

Other drivers of vehicles loaded

with combustible cargo worried

And the Belgian truck was a cold chain truck

that caused the accident

The polyurethane foam inside

released large amounts of cyanide,

turning the entire tunnel into a gas chamber

In the end, the fire continued to burn for 53 hours

24 trucks

9 cars and 1 motorcycle devoured

A total of 39 people died

including a French firefighter

Most people died of suffocation

Tunnel filled with charred vehicles and bodies

Due to inhalation of heavy smoke

The survivors were rescued with black face,

incessant cough

According to a survivor,

he's a cyclist

Wearing a respirator after the accident

attempted to direct the vehicle to make a U-turn

But then the smoke got bigger and bigger

He persuaded the driver

to abandon the vehicle and leave with him

But some people were very hesitant

Soon the black smoke came over like a wall

It's too late

No one can change this bad situation

There are two theories about

the cause of the fire

One is a mechanical or electrical failure

of the vehicle involved

The other is because the driver failed

to extinguish the cigarette butts

which floated into the air filter

Since the gas is flowing

it passed to other parts of the truck

Margarine and flour are not dangerous

but at high temperature

Butter will quickly turn into

an oily substance

Once it catches fire, it will ravage

Flour is more likely to explode

when exposed to a flame

Finally due to Gilbert's

lack of security awareness

not identified of exhaust and smoke

This was the straw that broke the camel's back

This fire led to

major structural damage

in Mont Blanc tunnel

It was barely cooled down

in the tunnel until 5 days later

Of course follow-up maintenance work

More than just repairing damage

Not only redesigning the structure

but upgrade security

In short, the tunnel needs a major change.

Who do you think

is responsible for this whole thing?

You can leave a message below

In addition to what I just said

Beyond the two conjectures about the fire

After the accident,

there were some misbehavior

The obvious one was the smoke detector.

Since it often false positives

Why not repaired it in time?

Just like the story of the wolf coming

When there is a fire

Operators may be numb

Only complaining "It's broken again"

Therefore not responding in time

Gilbert abandoned the car two minutes later

Firefighters got the news

And two minutes

can change the situation

The second was the hardware problem

of the Mont Blanc tunnel.

It did not have a sufficiently efficient

fume extraction system

There was no emergency rescue

And it was clear that

the initial rescue team was under-trained

It's said that there's only one of 4 firefighters

in the first rescues a professional

And since the opening of the Mont Blanc tunnel

Over 30 years,

they only had one fire drill

Therefore, in that state

it's vulnerable

January 2005

A total of 16 people tried for manslaughter

They were belgium

Gilbert

Truck maker, volvo

Tunnel companies and jurisdiction managers

in France and Italy

There were also safety operators

Mayor of Chamonix,

the area where the tunnel was located

and senior officials

of the French Ministry of Public Works

July 27, 2005

13 of those people were convicted

and fined

Tunnel safety chief sentenced

to 6 months in prison

Plus 2 years probation

Driver Gilbert sentenced to 4 months

Former president of the french company

that operated the tunnel

Remy Chardon found guilty

Two years probation

About $18,000 in fines

The rest were the safety leaders of

the various roads

Suspended and fined

Italian company responsible

for operating the tunnel

fund for Victims' Families

A total of 13.5 million euros were paid

Calamity is merciless

But there are still heroic characters

who take risks

He is Pierlucio Tinazzi,

a worker in the Mont Blanc tunnel

After the fire

He rode his motorcycle

to and from the tunnels

rescued several people

But unfortunately

he couldn't get out of the tunnel himself.

But about the real number of

survivors rescued still up for debate

Cuz someone revealed

He died soon after rushing into the tunnel

to save people

Anyway, no matter what

local newspapers in france and italy

report him as a hero

After all, Pierlucio did not back down

in the face of the raging fire

Later, many local motorcyclists

He was commemorated every year

at the entrance of the tunnel

Pierrucio, the ordinary and great hero

Although the legend of the hero

may be exaggerated

the horror of the fire can't be overstated

This tragedy caused

an intense discussion

about tunnel safety

Over the years,

the fire department in Chamonix,

France has been complaining

Insufficient safety equipment in the tunnel

But since the tunnel was split in two

by the two companies

So the relevant safety measures

was difficult to coordinate

It didn't solved in the end

Should heavy goods vehicles continue to be allowed

to pass through the Mont Blanc tunnel?

Obviously this tragedy has given

the most unforgettable answer

After 3 years of major changes

That was March 5, 2002

The Mont Blanc tunnel finally reopened

It had also changed dramatically

such as adding new equipment

computerized fire detection equipment

extra safety compartment

Parallel escape wells and so on

especially the safe zone

Trapped persons could make video contact

with the control center

and report real-time

A fire station was also installed

in the middle of the tunnel

Remote cargo checkpoints installed

on both sides of the tunnel

All trucks were inspected

before entering the tunnel

The accident

also had a big impact on French firefighters.

They summed up the lessons

A set of special modes for fire extinguishing

in tunnels were studied

and increased the number of fire trucks dispatched

Indeed, when the tunnel was first built

The safety facilities were not enough

It's prone to failure

It's unavoidable

But the follow-up repair work

still achievable

However, only when the tragedy unfold

People will improve the facility safety

After the Mont Blanc tunnel accident

Many countries in Europe

had conducted safety inspections of tunnels

About 6 other tunnels closed

Repaired and Upgraded them Immediately

to avoid similar tragedies

A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit

It's really distressing

to pay such a dear price

No matter what industry

Behind every disaster is a disregard for safety

Never wait until after an accident to regret

Like the mont blanc tunnel

From the most dangerous tunnel

into one of the safest tunnels

How many people's grief is carried here?

Alright, that's all for today

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This is Zheng Zheng

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