Heavy snows trap tourists

HEAVY snowfall has cut off many villages and resorts across the Alps, trapping some 13,000 tourists at Zermatt, one of Switzerland’s most popular ski resorts.

Helicopters airlifted some tourists to nearby villages, while others remained stuck for a second day after snow blocked road and rail links.

In the Pyrenees, a skier was killed and another injured after avalanches in Aragnouet, France. And in the French Alps, a slight break in the weather meant rescuers could begin looking for a British skier missing in Tignes.