13,000 TOURISTS TRAPPED IN SWISS RESORT AFTER MAJOR SNOW STORM
SERIOUS avalanche warnings have been issued after snowfall trapped 13,000 tourists in an upmarket Swiss ski resort.
All roads and the only rail line into Zermatt were said to be blocked last night.
Power supply is intermittent and holidaymakers were unable to leave due to an “exceptional” risk of avalanches.
Town officials advised: “Arrivals and departures to and from Zermatt are not possible.
“All hiking paths and cable cars remain closed. We kindly ask you to stay at home.”
The Alpine resort is home to about 5,500 residents and boasts “bed capacity” for a further 13,400 tourists.
The Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research warned of “numerous large, and, in many cases, very large” avalanches.
It said: “From starting zones that have retained some snow the avalanches can reach an exceptionally long way. Exposed buildings and exposed parts of transportation routes are endangered. Extensive safety measures are to be maintained.
“Without question, it is inadvisable to engage in ski touring, freeriding and snowshoe hiking outside marked and open pistes.”
A reconnaissance flight is planned as regional officials decide how to proceed after six feet of snow in just one day. An official said residents had been warned to keep their window shutters closed and that while no evacuation had yet been ordered, the situation “is being monitored every half hour”.
A number of other villages were also isolated after high winds, mud and rockslides.
Tignes, in the French Alps, has had more than five feet of snow in the past 48 hours.