More than a dozen people have been rescued after being stranded with their cars for hours in Victoria’s Mount Hotham area.
The State Emergency Service said more than 20 people became stuck near Hotham Heights, following more than 50 centimetres of snowfall in the area over the weekend.
They were travelling along Blue Rag Range Track near Dargo High Plains Road, not far from the Mount Hotham ski fields, about 10.50pm yesterday.
One of the vehicles rolled, leaving a man with minor injuries and many others were stuck for at least 19 hours and a fire truck became stuck in the rescue attempt.
Thirteen people had been rescued by about 6pm tonight as the operation continued.
Alpine Shire Council said the road was closed and there were signs and barricades up but the physical gate hadn’t been locked yet for the winter, something that was due to happen this Thursday.
“We did what we could ahead of the weekend, which was putting out the signage, notifying people,” chief executive Will Jeremy said.
“But that process to formally close the road takes a number of days.
“We’ve got to get the agreement of Vic Pol, Parks Vic and DEECA (the Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action). They’ve got to basically satisfy themselves that we’re not locking people into the park.”
Emergency services are reminding people driving in the alpine areas to read the signs and be aware of road closures
“Reconsider your travel plans in areas affected by heavy snowfall if necessary. Stay safe out there,” Victoria SES said on Facebook.
