GENEVA, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- Train service resumed and roads to Switzerland's ski and winter resort of Zermatt have restored so as to allow trapped tourists to leave, local Swiss media reported Thursday.
Swiss National Radio reported that the Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn railway company resumed its service between Tasch and Zermatt on Wednesday evening, after the track had been successfully cleared of snow.
The Zermatt tourist board on Thursday morning also said on twitter that the road between Zermatt and Tasch was now completely open, and some ski pistes and winter hiking trails are reopening.
Following heavy snowfall and rain on Jan. 9, road and rail access to Zermatt in southern Switzerland was cut off as the region was facing the maximum level of avalanche risk.
Local authorities said that a level 5 avalanche risk -- the highest risk level -- has been declared in parts of canton Valais (where Zermatt is located).
It was estimated that some 13,000 guests were affected since then.
