AIROLO, Switzerland

Tunnel fire kills at least 10

Associated Press

Fire spewed thick black smoke in one of the world's longest road tunnels after two trucks crashed head-on yesterday, trapping motorists. At least 10 people died, police said.

Intense heat and smoke kept rescuers from reaching the crash site for hours, and the death toll was expected to rise, said Benno Buehlmann, chief of Uri state's chemical department.

Many motorists and truckers managed to reach emergency exits on the more than 10-mile-long Gotthard Tunnel, which cuts through the Swiss Alps and is a key connection between northern and southern Europe.

"Without the safety shelters, we would have many more victims on our hands." Buehlmann said.

The 10 dead included one of the truck drivers, said Mario Ritter, spokesman for Ticino state police.

The surviving driver, Bruno Saba, told reporters he was heading south when he saw the other truck veer out of control, smash into his vehicle and then slam into the tunnel wall, trapping the driver in his cab a mile from the southern exit.

"I was able to climb out and help other people escape," Saba said.

Rescue workers were deployed within a minute of yesterday morning's crash as thick smoke fueled by a load of tires on one of the trucks billowed out of the tunnel, officials said.

"Suddenly there was smoke and I couldn't see anything," truck driver Marco Frischknecht told Swiss television from his hospital bed. "I tried to reverse, but there were so many people I had to give up."

Frischknecht, who drives through the tunnel every day, said he abandoned his car immediately.

"I felt my way along the wall until I got to the emergency exit," he said through an oxygen mask.

Some died trying to reach the shelters or in their cars, authorities said. But "many people were able to escape," Swiss President Moritz Leuenberger said, "thanks to the tunnel's ventilation system and emergency exits and shelters positioned every 250 yards."

Others were able to turn their cars around and drive out of the single-bore, two-lane tunnel, police said. Once the cars were cleared, a number of trucks were able to back out.

Six people were treated for smoke inhalation, officials said.

Officials said it would take days before they could reopen the tunnel.

WHEELING, W. VA.

Judge says West Virginia smokers provided enough evidence for trial

Associated Press

West Virginia smokers suing the tobacco industry for an unprecedented medical screening program have presented enough evidence to send the case to a jury, a judge ruled yesterday.

Ohio County Circuit Judge Arthur Recht ruled against a stack of dismissal motions, saying the recently completed plaintiff's case met the required legal standards for the case to proceed.

"There is sufficient evidence to take this case to the jury on all issues," Recht said.

The class-action lawsuit, filed on behalf of some 250,000 West Virginians, seeks the creation of an industry-funded medical program that would provide free diagnostic tests for healthy smokers. The class members are people who have smoked the equivalent of a pack a day for at least five years, but who are not yet sick.

It is the first medical monitoring case of its kind to go to trial in the United States, forcing the tobacco companies to defend what is essentially a product liability claim.

The smokers say they were exposed to a hazardous substance proven to cause lung cancer, emphysema and chronic obstructive lung diseases. They also argue cigarettes have been produced for decades with "wanton and willful" disregard for public health.

Cigarette makers concede their products are inherently risky but deny they are defective.

Eight motions filed with the judge argued that the smokers failed to prove key points of their case against R.J. Reynolds, Philip Morris, Brown & Williamson and Lorillard.

TUCSON

Trick or treating cancelled at Tucson malls

Associated Press

Officials at three Tucson malls have cancelled Halloween parties for kids, deeming the events inappropriate in light of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Tucson Mall, Park Place and El Con Mall have canceled Halloween events.

Foothills Mall will host Halloween festivities only in the food court area. Extra security has been hired for the evening's events, according to Foothills Mall General Manager Tom Rae.

Officials for General Growth Properties in Chicago, which owns the Tucson and Park Place malls, has canceled Halloween events at all of its 150 malls across the country, said Mike Hackstadt, senior general manager in Tucson.

"We had a number of customers who wanted to know if we were going to hold the festivities, and when we told them we were, they said they felt it was very inappropriate. A lot of people look at trick-or-treating as a time for pranks, and it was decided such activities were not appropriate this year," he said.

The annual festivities, seen by many families as a safe alternative to door-to-door trick-or-treating, drew more than 10,000 kids to Tucson Mall last year and a similar crowd to Park Place, Hackstadt said.

El Con Mall also has canceled its Halloween events.

A notice on its website states: "In view of current events, there will be no trick-or-treating Oct. 31. We apologize for the inconvenience."