BREAKING Zermatt: Snow cuts off Swiss ski resort for second time in 2024
Heavy snow has cut off the Swiss ski resorts of Zermatt and Andermatt, leaving thousands of people stranded.
Zermatt is snowed-in for the second time this month, as is nearby Cervinia, an Italian resort below the Matterhorn.
Avalanche warnings are at maximum – level five – so road and rail traffic has stopped in many parts of the Alps.
In Austria’s Tyrol, snow has cut links to the resorts of St Anton and Ischgl. Ski lifts have stopped in many resorts, including Chamonix in France.
About 10,000 people are reported to be stranded in Austria’s Paznauntal area, which includes the resorts of Ischgl and Galtür.
In Bavaria, southern Germany, a man died and several were injured in avalanches.
In the Chamonix area below Mont Blanc the avalanche risk is at maximum level and most roads from there to Switzerland are closed. About 1,000 people in danger zones were advised to stay at home.
Some parts of the Swiss Alps have had three metres (9.9ft) of fresh snow in just one week – a level last reached in 1999.
Helicopter services are in high demand in Zermatt as some tourists try to get airlifted out. Some 9,000 people are stranded there.
Some residents were also evacuated in the Swiss town of Davos, where world and business leaders are gathering for the World Economic Forum this week.
Officials advised people living in about 30 homes to find somewhere safer to spend the night on Sunday.
