Disentis grinds to a halt: More than 2,000 people in Swiss village stranded after heavy snowfall
People in the village of Disentis are cut off from the outside world as they are unable to access roads and trains.
Tuesday 15 January 2019 13:56, UK
More than 2,000 people have been stranded in the Swiss Alps after heavy snow cut off access to roads and rail links as storms continued to cause chaos in parts of Europe.
Avalanche warnings in several regions have been raised to their highest levels - a week before the World Economic Forum is due to meet in Davos.
National rail operator SBB said train services to the ski village of Disentis in eastern Switzerland had also ground to a halt.
Robert Cajacob, the head of its local government, said the village's population of 2,200 people and "several hundred tourists" had no way out due to rail closures and snowed in roads.
He described the situation as "stable" but "problematic".
Many posted photos and videos on social media as they remained cut off from the outside world.
Parts of the Alps saw 60cm (24in) to 90cm (35in) of snow since Saturday night, according to the national weather office MeteoSwiss.
It said another 30cm (12in) to 50cm (20in) of snow was expected in some parts of the northern Alps in the coming hours.
Authorities in France have also warned of there being a high risk of avalanches in the Haute-Savoie region, which borders Switzerland.
The warnings come after avalanches in western Austria killed at least three people in recent days.
An avalanche overnight in Ramsau, in central Austria, slammed into a hotel. However, all 60 guests and staff members escaped the building unharmed.
The increased risk of avalanches follow the warmer, wetter weather seen in parts of southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland after days of heavy snowfall.
Dozens of people have died in avalanches and weather-related incidents in the region since the start of the year.