Snow leaves thousands of motorists stranded in French Alps
Blizzards affect a broad swathe of central Europe with cars stuck in snow falls in the French Alps and across northern England
Heavy snowfall in the French Alps left some 15,000 drivers stranded overnight, forcing many to sleep in their cars and prompting officials to open emergency shelters.
The snow and ice hit as a rush of holidaymakers were heading to and leaving from ski resorts in the Savoie region in southeastern France, where authorities set up shelters in at least 12 towns.
The snow, freezing rain and icy conditions caused the death of a 27-year-old man whose car slid into a ravine in the Belledonne mountain range.
France’s Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve in a statement urged drivers “to exercise the utmost caution” and asked those who could delay their trips to do so.
The country declared an orange weather alert – one step under the maximum red alert – in 19 regional departments.
One driver stuck in his car on a major road in the Alps with four passengers, Kevin Clavel, told reporters: “To go 130 kilometres it’s taken us 10 hours.”