The snowstorm, which began Friday evening, intensified over the weekend, cutting off access routes at altitudes above 4,900 metres. Hundreds of villagers and rescue teams were deployed to clear the heavy snow and assist stranded visitors. The unusually heavy snowfall marked one of the region’s fiercest October storms in recent years. State broadcaster CCTV did not specify whether local guides and support staff accompanying the trekking groups had been accounted for.
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Mount Everest, known as Mount Qomolangma in China, stands at 8,849 metres and is the world’s tallest peak. To access this content, you must have prior permission and a valid contract. The north face of Mount Everest, due to its easy access by paved road, regularly draws large numbers of tourists. According to Chinese state media outlet Jimu News roughly 1,000 mountain climbers were pinned down at sites just below base camp on the north face of Mount Everest.
According to officials, the highways connecting the federal capital, Kathmandu, with the rest of the country have been obstructed since Saturday morning, and flights have been disrupted. Another trekker, Eric Wen, who survived the blizzard, said they faced continuous snowfall and they decided to head back on Saturday night from their fifth and final campsite. The remaining trekkers will arrive in Qudang in stages with the assistance of rescuers organised by the local government, CCTV added. The weather meant entry to the Everest Scenic Area had to be suspended from late Saturday, according to the local Tingri County Tourism Company. Neighbouring Nepal has been battered by torrential rains and floods that has killed at least 47 people, blocked roads, and washed away bridges.
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The Tibetan regional government is said to have organised coordinated search and rescue operations, sending heavy machinery to reopen snow-blocked roads leading to the affected campsites. And since Saturday, rescue efforts were underway to get the hikers and their guides to safety. The north face of Everest, due to its easy access by paved road, regularly draws large numbers of tourists.
Mount Everest rescue underway after snowstorm traps hundreds of trekkers in Tibet
Ms Chen’s party descended from the mountains on Sunday and was greeted by villagers after enduring a harrowing evening of heavy snowfall combined with thunder and lightning. Villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to help clear the snow blocking access to the area, which sits at an altitude of more than 4,900m (16,000ft). They relocated the rescued hikers to the small township of Qudang, reports said. The CCTV report did not say if all local guides and support staff of the trekking parties had been accounted for.
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In China, about 150,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes due to destruction caused by Typhoon Matmo. “It was raining and snowing every day, and we did not see Everest at all,” said Mr Wen. On the other side of China, Typhoon Matmo has made landfall on the country’s eastern coast, forcing about 150,000 people to evacuate from their homes. Many hikers have made their way to the Karma Valley hiking trail, a lesser-known but scenic route to the base of Everest – which also offers a view of the world’s highest peak. They hardly slept because it was snowing too hard and his group had to clear the snow every 10 minutes.
What is hypothermia?published at 11:05 BST11:05 BST
Nearly 1,000 trekkers were stranded on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet on Sunday after a powerful blizzard swept through the region, blocking key access routes. According to Chinese state media, the heavy snowfall, which is unusual for this time of year, has left several campsites isolated at altitudes exceeding 4,900 metres (16,000 feet). October usually marks a peak season on Everest, when post-monsoon skies typically clear. This year’s unusually heavy snowfall and rainfall disrupted the holiday season, coinciding with China’s eight-day National Day break. Authorities suspended ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area from late Saturday.
Tibet’s Blue Sky Rescue team had received a call for help saying that tents had collapsed due to heavy snow, and that some hikers were suffering from hypothermia. However, heavy snowfall began on Friday evening and continued throughout Saturday. China is in the middle of its week-long National Day holiday known as Golden Week, a peak season for local tourism. At least one hiker has died and more than 200 are still stranded on Everest’s eastern slopes in Tibet, an area popular with climbers and hikers, Chinese state media reported. Hikers caught in a shock blizzard near Mount Everest have spoken of experiencing hypothermia as they battled relentless snowfall, while rescuers continue to evacuate scores of people. Ticket sales and entry to the entire Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of the local Tingri County Tourism Company.
- It is not known if local guides and support staff had been accounted for and it was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not.
- Authorities suspended ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area from late Saturday.
- Her husband had told her that he barely slept in his tent because he was afraid of being buried in the snow, the woman said.
- The north face of Everest, due to its easy access by paved road, regularly draws large numbers of tourists.
Notably, it is a relatively pristine part of the Everest region with most climbers opting for the north face. “It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” said Chen Geshuang, who was part of an 18-strong trekking team that made it to Qudang. While rescuers continue their efforts to bring down climbers from Mount Everest,Nepal is also struggling with landslides and floods, which have already claimed the lives of 64 people.
It also remained unclear if climbers stationed near the north face of Everest, which also lies in Tibet, were affected. The remaining stranded tourists are being brought down in groups under the supervision of coordinated rescue teams deployed by local authorities. The high-altitude valley, situated around 4,200 metres (13,800 feet), is a popular route among climbers and trekkers exploring the Everest region from Tibet’s side. Hundreds of trekkers stranded by a blizzard near the eastern face of Mount Everest in Tibet have been rescued and relocated safely, Chinese state media reported, as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummelled the Himalayas.
- “Our windbreakers and raincoats were no match for the snow. We were all drenched,” he said, adding that several people in his group of 20 showed signs of hypothermia.
- The north face of Mount Everest, due to its easy access by paved road, regularly draws large numbers of tourists.
- Tibet’s Blue Sky Rescue team had received a call for help saying that tents had collapsed due to heavy snow, and that some hikers were suffering from hypothermia.
- He was looking forward to capturing the Himalayan marvel from the Tibetan slopes, when the snowstorm hit just hours after his trek started on Saturday.
- Villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to help clear the snow blocking access to the area, which sits at an altitude of more than 4,900m (16,000ft).
- It was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Mount Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not.
October is a peak season, when skies usually clear at the end of the Indian monsoon. Visitors to the remote valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Everest, were in the hundreds this week, taking advantage of an eight-day National Day holiday in China. The snowstorm left almost 1,000 trekkers trapped on the mountain, according to Chinese state media. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters, and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country.
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To the south of Tibet in Nepal, heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that blocked roads, washed away bridges and have killed at least 47 people since Friday. As of now, at least 350 people have been brought to safety while contact has been made with 200 others still stranded in the snowbound region. China Central Television (CCTV) said the several hundred rescued trekkers were brought to Qudang township under the guidance of local rescue teams. Hundreds more are expected to reach the area in stages as villagers and emergency workers clear deep snow from mountain passes. The snowstorm later intensified on Saturday, blocking roads and trails and cutting off access. The heavy snowfall also resulted in ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area to be suspended, according to the local Tingri County Tourism Company.
The storm prompted the suspension of ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area over the weekend. As weather conditions worsened, communication with many trekkers was temporarily disrupted. According to China’s CCTV, some 350 trekkers were safely guided to the township of Qudang by Sunday, while contact had been established with over 200 others. However, it remains unclear whether local guides and support staff accompanying the trekking groups have all been accounted for.
It comes as the region faces extreme weather and neighbouring Nepal has been battered by heavy rains, which caused flash floods and landslides that have killed 47 people. While Tibet grappled with blizzards, neighbouring Nepal has been battered by relentless rains that triggered landslides, flash floods, and lightning strikes, killing at least 52 people since Friday. In Ilam district near the Indian border, 35 people died in multiple landslides, while nine remain missing after being swept away by floods. Rescue operations were in full swing on Sunday after a plus500 canada sudden blizzard trapped close to 1,000 trekkers and climbers in remote campsites on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet, Chinese state media reported. Visuals from the region showed adventurers trudging through knee-deep snow under grey skies as strong winds whipped across the Himalayan slopes. The severe blizzard began late Friday and continued through Saturday, according to local officials in Tingri County.
Thirty-five people died in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district bordering India. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country. It is not known if local guides and support staff had been accounted for and it was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not.
It was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Mount Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not. Hundreds of villagers and emergency teams have been dispatched to clear thick layers of snow and reopen routes leading to the affected areas, Chinese outlet Jimu News reported. Authorities have confirmed that dozens of stranded tourists have already been escorted down the mountain to safety. On Friday (October 3) evening, snowfall began in the valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern face of Everest.