Fifteen thousand vehicles were stranded Saturday in the French Alps due to heavy snowfall.
The snow hit as a rush of holidaymakers were heading to and leaving from ski resorts in the Savoie region in southeastern France, where authorities set up shelters in at least 12 towns.
Two people died in the extreme weather including a 27-year-old man whose car slid into a ravine in the Belledonne mountain range.
Officials opened emergency shelters and urged travellers to stay home.