Heavy snowfall kills one and leaves 15,000 stranded in French Alps

Heavy snowfall in the French Alps left some 15,000 drivers stranded, prompting officials to open emergency shelters and urge travellers to stay home. 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 and freezing rain also caused the death of a 27-year-old man whose car slid into a ravine in the Belledonne mountain range. The country declared an orange weather alert – one step under the maximum red alert – in 19 departments.

The situation is very frustrating. The biggest drama of all is of course most people’s phones have run out of battery so they are getting anxious about other friends who are also travelling at this time, and letting family know they are fine.

Traveller Kate Rhodes told Sky News

Elsewhere in France it was wind and not snow that wrought havoc for holiday travellers. Storms packing gusts of up to 160 km/h forced the temporary closure of France’s port of Calais on the English Channel and the suspension of car ferries to and from Britain. Strong winds also forced the closure of the gardens of the famed chateau of Versailles near Paris. Snow caused disruption in Britain too, leading to power shortages in more than 100,000 homes and delays at airports. The heaviest snow was in Leek, western central England, where 11 centimetres fell. Forecasters predict that temperatures in Britain could drop as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius next week.

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