route was reopened at around midday, hours after a truck crashed into a car and a mini bus moments after exiting from the tunnel. The mini bus driver was killed in the crash on the winding stretch of motorway.
The accident had cut off one of the last main transit route linking Italy to the north, spreading traffic chaos through the heart of Europe. Police warned it would take hours to clear the backlog of trucks in and around the Swiss canton (state) of Ticino and at Chiasso, the main border crossing from Italy.
The closure of both the Gotthard and the St Bernhard routes caused major problems for freight haulers and tourists alike, following the shutdown since 1999 of the Mont Blanc tunnel after a major fire that was also started by a truck. At least 10 people died when two trucks collided and burst into flames on Wednesday in the Gotthard tunnel, which could be shut for weeks.
Reuters
