Up to 50 people were inside the ice rink in the Bavarian Alpine town of Bad Reichenhall when the roof caved in under heavy snow, police said.

Five bodies have been recovered, one person died in hospital and another five are known to be dead, police said.

Blizzards were complicating the rescue effort, although some 300 firefighters, police and soldiers are at the scene.

Heavy snowfalls have led to huge traffic jams throughout the Berchtesgadener region, where a state of emergency has been declared.

The blocked roads are reported to be slowing down the arrival of rescue teams, although a 20-tonne crane has arrived, a local official says.

BBC