Aftermath of Austrian tragedy

Following this weekend's state of national mourning, Austrian rescue workers began recovering the bodies of some 159 people who died Saturday in a funicular inferno near Salzburg.

The cause of the blaze in the tunnel of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier is still unknown, but transport records show the funicular, installed with modern railcars in 1994, underwent regular safety inspections.

In response to the accident, France's transport minister, Jean- Claude Gayssot, announced yesterday that an exhaustive examination of his nation's three similar funicular railways would take place immediately.

"Everything is being done to ensure that this type of catastrophe could not happen in France," Mr. Gayssot said.

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