Drivers stranded as snowdrifts hit Germany

Heavy snowfall brought traffic chaos to parts of Germany today, leaving some drivers in the east of the country stranded in their cars for part of the night, authorities said.

The region around the city of Chemnitz, north of the border with the Czech Republic, was among the worst affected, said Gottfried Marx of the Saxony state traffic service in Dresden.

‘‘Not even the snow blowers can get through in some areas,’’ he said, with strong wind forming deep snowdrifts.

Marx said several drivers had been stuck in their cars during the night on roads blocked by heavy snowfall on Christmas Eve, but had been freed by this morning.

Roads were also blocked in the neighbouring state of Thuringia, but Dieter Nordmann of the state interior ministry said the situation was expected to improve during the day as warmer weather arrived.