Mount Everest: Hundreds still stranded as rescuers battle heavy snow after blizzard

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.

Inside the daunting op to rescue more than 200 trekkers trapped on Mount Everest slopes

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.

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.

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Visitors to the remote valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Mount Everest, were in the hundreds this week, taking advantage of an eight-day National Day holiday in China. A rescue effort is underway after a snowstorm trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest in Tibet. As of Sunday, local time, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, and contact had been made with another 200-plus trekkers, Chinese state media reported. As clearing operations continue, authorities have urged trekkers and visitors to remain cautious and avoid venturing into high-altitude areas until conditions improve.

Karma Valley is a lesser-known trail to Everest basepublished at 05:43 BST05:43 BST

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 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.

• Visuals from the region showed adventurers trudging through knee-deep snow under grey skies as strong winds whipped across the Himalayan slopes.
• Snowfall in the valley, which lies at an elevation averaging 4,200 metres, began on Friday evening and persisted throughout Saturday.
• State broadcaster CCTV did not specify whether local guides and support staff accompanying the trekking groups had been accounted for.

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.

‘I was lucky to get out’: Everest hikers battle hypothermia as blizzard rescue continues

She added that her husband told her that the snow kept piling up and he even barely slept at night as he was “afraid of being buried if he fell into a deep sleep”. Another hiker, Eric Wen, told Reuters that three people in his group suffered from hypothermia even though they were adequately dressed. 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. “Even for rescuers, it’s not easy, they need to clear snow to make a path,” said the woman, who declined to be named. “But this blizzard was still extremely difficult to deal with. I was so lucky to get out.” “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.

Another woman told the BBC that her husband who had been stuck in the snowstorm was slowly descending from the mountains, but thick snow cover has made his retreat extremely difficult. The disaster underscores the volatile weather conditions across the Himalayas, which continue to endanger residents, climbers, and tourists alike. Snowfall in the valley, which lies at an elevation averaging 4,200 metres, began on Friday evening and persisted throughout Saturday. In one video, taken on Sunday, a line of hikers can be seen wading through snow in poor visibility. As of Sunday, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the an additional 200-plus trekkers had been made, CCTV reported. Now, rescue workers are racing against the clock to reach the hikers, who are stuck at tourist campsites on the slopes of Mount Everest.

Chen Geshuang, who was part of Mr Dong’s hiking group, said the snow was about a metre deep when the group started their retreat on Sunday. The 27-year-old had been to the Himalayas more than a dozen times, but said he has “never experienced weather like this”.

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.

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.

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 plus500 canada 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.

• The snowstorm left almost 1,000 trekkers trapped on the mountain, according to Chinese state media.
• To access this content, you must have prior permission and a valid contract.
• However, it remains unclear whether local guides and support staff accompanying the trekking groups have all been accounted for.
• The north face of Everest, due to its easy access by paved road, regularly draws large numbers of tourists.
• Mount Everest is one of the crown jewels for climbers but poses many risks.

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.

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“The lightning and thunderstorms would not stop. The snowfall was so heavy I could hardly sleep,” Mr Dong explained. 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. Nature photographer Dong Shuchang was among hundreds of tourists who flocked to the area during China’s Golden Week holiday. Mount Everest is one of the crown jewels for climbers but poses many risks. In fact, there’s been a total of an estimated 330 deaths at Mount Everest, with most of them being caused by avalanches or falls. Acute mountain sickness, with symptoms of dizziness, vomiting and headaches, has also caused deaths.

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.

Villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to help hundreds of hikers stranded on Mount Everest after a snowstorm. Ms Chen’s team began descending from the mountains on Sunday and was welcomed by villagers after enduring a harrowing evening of heavy snowfall combined with thunder and lightning. Hundreds of local villagers and rescue workers have been deployed to clear out snow blocking access to the area, which sits at an altitude of more than 4,900m (16,000ft).