Hundreds of tourists have been airlifted from the Swiss ski resort of Zermatt, which is one of several resorts in the Alps to have been closed due to heavy snowfall over the past few days.
Rail services from Zermatt, where 13,000 people have been trapped since Sunday, failed to resume as planned this morning as workers struggled to clear the lines to Tasch of snow.
Yesterday, helicopters began airlifting skiers from the luxury resort to Tasch, from where they continued their journeys by bus. However, the resort’s website says rail services should resume later today.
Several other ski resorts across Switzerland, France and Italy are also closed due to the extreme avalanche risk caused by the the highest snowfall the Alps has experienced for almost 10 years.
An avalanche hit the resort of Les Houches, near Chamonix, yesterday, damaging chalets and cars, but no casualties were reported. In the Italian Alps, up to 10,000 tourists and locals were cut off by avalanches and deep snow.
Meanwhile, an aerial search has failed to locate British snowboarder John Bromell, 39, who went missing in the French resort of Tignes on Sunday. He had been skiing with his family but went for a last run on his own, despite worsening weather, and failed to return.
French emergency workers said the heavy snowfall and extreme avalanche risk, which is at a maximum of five, had prevented extensive searches on the ground for Mr Bromell.
