At least two highways were closed for more than 14 hours after upwards of 20 centimetres (eight inches) of snow fell in and around the Austrian capital.

Friday afternoon, one highway was open again, while on the other, road safety authorities and the fire department were working to free some 300 vehicles, mostly lorries, stuck in the thick snow, Austrian national television ORF reported.

Workers and volunteers had to dig the vehicles, which had been immobilised for hours, out with shovels.

Several thousand people had to spend the night in their cars after the heavy snowfall caused lorries, poorly equipped for the weather conditions, to become stuck and breakdown services were unable to reach them, causing severe blockages.

"All three lanes are blocked. I've never seen that in my entire time in this job," said Manfred Mirwald of the local touring club OeAMTC.

Thursday evening, up to 5,000 cars were involved in a 21-kilometre (13-mile) jam on the highway just outside Vienna.

Red Cross workers and volunteers handed out hot tea, food and blankets on the highways, and emergency shelters put up travellers for a few hours, but many drivers spent the night in their cars, Austrian media reported.

Up to 20 centimetres (eight inches) of snow fell in and around Vienna overnight, a 12-year high for this time of year.

Vienna airport also reported flight delays of up to one hour Friday, and snowploughs could be seen at work on the runways.

Authorities expected the situation to improve in the afternoon however, as the snow was letting up.