An investigation into a fatal tunnel fire in the Austrian ski resort of Kaprun which killed 155 people, including one Briton, has pinned the blame on a faulty radiator.

A new report into the disaster says a defective heater in the driver's cab sparked the fire in the funicular train tunnel last November.

The president of the Salzburg district court told journalists that a combination of factors led to the horrific accident.

Presenting the report compiled by five experts, he said that the heater's ventilator in the driver's cab had either become stuck or was blocked.

Leaking hydraulic oil from a cable trickled into the heater and the surrounding area where it then ignited, he said.

Mr Grafinger said that the aim of the report was to clarify the cause of the tragedy and not assign blame, but its findings could influence the outcome of legal actions brought by the victims' relatives.

American class action lawyer, Ed Fagan, who led a compensation campaign for Holocaust survivors, is representing relatives in actions against the train's operators and around 20 other firms which could be held responsible for the incident.

[From BBC - full report]

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