Mountain services rescue dozens stranded on Germany's highest peak

Several groups of climbers were escorted to safety by mountain rescue services on Saturday after running into difficulties in snow and bad weather on Germany's highest peak.

They were brought to the Sonnalpin glacier restaurant on the Zugspitzplatt plateau, the mountain rescue service said.

Some 29 climbers were making their way to the peak despite steady rain in the valley and heavy snowfall in the mountains, broadcaster Bayerischer Rundfunk reported. In some places, the snow was 2 metres high and visibility was only around 100 metres.

Several groups called the emergency services, a mountain rescue service spokesman said. They were unable to continue any further due to the weather and fresh snow at an altitude of around 2,500 metres, he said.

The mountain rescue service was deployed alongside staff working for the mountain railway company to search for the climbers, a railway company spokeswoman said.

At times, with temperatures dipping below freezing, the peak's cable car was unable to run as the equipment was partially frozen, the spokeswoman said.

The ski season on the 2,962 metre Zugspitze ended on May 1, though the snow had not yet melted.