Record snowfalls hit Switzerland

Switzerland struggled to dig itself out today after record snowfall overnight set off avalanches, collapsed roofs, left the country’s two main motorways blocked and caused two deaths.

A 17-year-old was killed in Fribourg on Friday after being hit by falling scaffolding and a 43-year-old woman died on Saturday in Bern canton (state) after her car skidded and ran into a tree, police said.

Near the largest city, Zurich, 54 centimetres (21 inches) of new snow was recorded on the heights of Zuerichberg, the highest in a 24-hour period since records began in 1931, said Urs Sutter, a meteorologist at national weather service MeteoSuisse.

The town of St Gallen in north-eastern Switzerland recorded 60 centimetres of new snow and Basel 50 centimetres, MeteoSuisse said.

Two of the country’s two main motorways, the east-west A1 and north-south A2, were blocked by heavy snow, causing lengthy tailbacks and forcing some 130 motoists to shelter for the night in nearby nuclear fallout shelters. More than 100 other roads also were blocked, many by trees and branches that broke from the weight of the snow.

Three snowboarders were caught in an avalanche in south-eastern Switzerland. They reported sliding down about 300 metres but were able to free themselves from the snow and alert the authorities.

Police in Solothurn canton in the north reported roofs collapsing but said there no casualties were reported.