Tourists evacuated from Italian hotel as avalanche strikes

By Bethany Minelle, News Reporter
Dozens of tourists have been airlifted from a four-star mountainside hotel following an overnight avalanche in northern Italy.
Four helicopters were used to transport guests and workers from The Langtauferer Hotel, which lies 1,870m (6,135ft) above sea level and close to the Austrian border.
Although the hotel was not directly hit, the area is facing an extremely high risk of further avalanches. Some guests were reluctant to leave.
Each helicopter has been picking up seven people at a time and ferrying them to a school gymnasium in nearby San Valentino.
A nearby guesthouse was also evacuated, and the whole village was cut off from the nearest major road by the heavy snowfall.
Heavy snowfall has delayed the arrival of some delegates in Davos
Teams are now working to open roads to Val Senales, where thousands of tourists and residents had been isolated since Monday above Merano.
Avalanche barriers have so far protected the town, according to the civil protection agency in Bolzano.
Snowfall of up to 2m (6.6ft) has caused disruption across the Alps - beating record levels dating back to the early 1980s.
The Chamonix ski area in France has also been closed due to avalanche risk, and several major roads and tunnels in the area have been shut down.
Schools in parts of rural western Austria have also been closed.
Main roads and rail lines in Switzerland have been blocked due to blizzard conditions, and some ski resorts have been closed.