Swiss authorities near the famed Matterhorn peak have closed ski slopes, hiking trails, cable cars, roads and train service into the nearby town of Zermatt
THOUSANDS of tourists have become trapped in the Swizz ski resort of Zermatt after a massive snowfall blocked roads and caused chaos.
At least 13,000 holidaymakers - including many Brits - are thought to have been caught up in the mayhem that has seen the train leading to the resort in the southern Swiss canton of Valais also being hit by some power outages.
Helicopters have been brought in to help move some of the many thousands out of the now cut-off resort.
The main access road has been closed since early Monday, while the train was halted Monday evening, she said.
Zermatt is home to some 5,500 inhabitants and has the capacity to accommodate 13,400 tourists spread across hotels and rental apartments.
But the stranded tourists will not be able to take advantage of the abundant snow for the time being, due to the high risk of avalanches in the area.
"It is not possible to do downhill or cross country, but that's ok. It's a bit romantic," Imesch said, adding "there is no panic."
With nearby roads, trains, cable cars, ski slopes and hiking trails into the town closed, Swiss authorities deployed helicopters to ferry some tourists to a nearby village to escape the snow-bound Alpine valley.
A police official in Zermatt, a tourist magnet for backpackers and millionaires alike, said the helicopter journey to the village of Taesch takes around three minutes.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak publicly about the matter, said the so-called air bridge can transport about 100 people an hour, conditions permitting.
Only tourists who requested the air bridge were being ferried out, the official said, insisting that it was not an official evacuation.
A number of other Valais villages were also isolated by the heavy precipitation.
The Simplon region of Valais was hit by two metres of snow in a 24-hour period, the ATS news agency reported.
Mud and rockslides, as well as flooding, have forced the closure of a number of roads across Valais, as has the risk of avalanches, which regional police have said is currently at the highest possible level.
At lower altitudes, heavy rains have meanwhile forced the evacuation of around 20 people from the tiny village of Eyholz, and the hamlet of Mottec was also emptied as a precaution, the RTS broadcaster reported.
Stranded tourists will not be able to take advantage of the abundant snow for the time being, due to the high risk of avalanches in the area
Beyond Valais, the first men's World Cup downhill training run in Wengen, in the canton of Bern, was cancelled Tuesday due to snow and high winds, organisers said.
Overnight winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour (125 miles per hour) also meant there was significant damage to infrastructure on the course, notably at the finish area where tents and the stands were hit.
The piste itself was unaffected.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at [email protected] or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.