13,000 tourists stranded in Swiss village

bern - The Swiss village of Zermatt is isolated from the outside world. Due to avalanche danger, the authorities have closed the motorways, train connections, ski slopes and hiking trails in the vicinity of the small town near the Matterhorn mountain.

It has rained heavily recently in the mountainous Valais, causing the snow to slide on the slopes. The canton is full of tens of thousands of tourists. In Zermatt alone, an estimated 13,000 are currently in place. The city itself has more than 6000 inhabitants.

Twenty people had already been saved at the town of Visp whose houses threatened to collapse under a layer of mud. Mud flows have also arisen elsewhere. The authorities request new tourists to postpone their trip to the area for the time being.

It is not known how long the measures in and around Zermatt remain in force.