Vienna - Some 20,000 tourists were trapped in western Austrian ski resorts yesterday as heavy snow buried road and rail links and raised the threat of avalanches.
The popular Arlberg resorts of Lech and Zurs, as well as Ischgl, Galtur and the Silvretta region were completely cut off after more than 2.5 metres of snow fell in the last six days, the motoring association OeAMTC said.
"It's snowing continuously and there's absolutely no end in sight. It will be difficult for the resorts to keep the snowed-in punters happy," a spokesman said.