Yesterday afternoon, around 13:45hrs, an alert was launched following a gas leak caused by an accident on a building site in Chamonix. Workers hit a 60mm main gas line of 4 bar (58psi) pressure with a digger, in "Allée du Rector Payot", near the Mollard roundabout. 170 people were evacuated, including "maternelle" children and teachers from the Chamonix Centre School, as well as the PGHM, the Office of Tourism and the Hotel du Mont Blanc. 200 other primary children and staff in the Chamonix Center School were confined to barracks. The younger children spent the afternoon in the "Champs de Savoie". The area was made safe by 4 o'clock and traffic circulation was restored. The gas, however, was cut to about 250 private homes and fifty businesses, including many restaurants.
