Blizzard Strands Thousands in Austria

10 feet of snow fuel avalanche fears
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 10, 2012 3:15 PM CST
Blizzard Strands Thousands in Austria
A woman waits at a bus stop in Hochfilzen in the western Austrian province of Tyrol, Tuesday.   (AP Photo/dapd, Kerstin Joensson)

A 10-foot snowfall in the Austrian alps has left tens of thousands of visitors stranded, reports the Telegraph. Fears of avalanche have prompted the closure of dozens of roads and left popular resort villages isolated. "This is a type of snowfall the like of which we have not seen for years," says an avalanche warning spokesman. "Combined with that, there are very high winds, which are making conditions especially dangerous,"

Fortunately, many of the trapped tourists came to ski—and they're loving the weather, the Telegraph notes. Despite the snow, the popular Ischgl resort "has been operating as normal with skiers and boarders experiencing amazingly good conditions," says a local tourism chief. (More Austria stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X