Geneva: Protesters temporarily blocked Switzerland's Gotthard road tunnel through the Alps on Friday, making the heavy traffic at the start of the Easter holiday worse.
One of the main ways to get from German-speaking Switzerland to the warmer Ticino region on the south side of the mountains is through the 17 km (10.5 mi) long tunnel. One of the busiest days in the tunnel is usually Good Friday, which marks the start of the long Easter weekend.
Several protesters from Renovate Switzerland, a group that wants the Swiss government to declare a climate emergency and plan for the thermal renovation of every building in the nation by 2035, temporarily blocked the northern entrance.
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The protesters reportedly sat on the southbound carriageway at around 10:00 am (0800 GMT) and taped their hands to the pavement, according to the Swiss news agency ATS. Some drivers aggressively swiped at their signs. After the activists were taken out by the police about 30 minutes later, the tunnel reopened around 11:00 a.m.
Six activists, ages 19 to 60, according to Renovate Switzerland, were detained.
They stated in a tweet that "15-kilometer traffic jams are not as disturbing as inaction in the face of the climate catastrophe."
The Touring Club Suisse drivers' association reported that the jam had extended to 19 kilometres and that drivers now faced delays of more than three hours.
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The road tunnel, which was constructed in 1980 and has one lane in each direction, frequently experiences backups during the Easter and summer vacation periods. Since the Middle Ages, the Gotthard Pass has served as a vital cross-Alpine trade route.
With one road tunnel and two rail tunnels under the pass, it continues to be a vital transportation route connecting northern and southern Europe. When they first opened, all three were the longest of their kind in the entire world.
