"Truly Felt Fear": Hikers' Horror Tales Of Mount Everest Show Blizzard

Rescue efforts are underway to ensure nearly 200 trekkers caught in a snow blizzard near Mount Everest in Tibet make it to safety. An unseasonal heavy snowfall during one of China's busiest holiday weekends trapped hundreds of hikers on Mount Everest, prompting a massive rescue effort.

According to Chinese authorities, all those stranded have been contacted, and 350 of them have been led to safety, but at least 200 remain stranded at the remote valley of Karma on the Tibetan side of the border, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Everest.

The evacuation that began on Monday and should be completed by Tuesday, the source told news agency Reuters.

In neighboring Nepal, a South Korean climber died after getting caught in a storm while ascending a Himalayan peak just south of Everest.

Survivors' Account

The blizzard began on Friday night (October 3), catching tourists off guard at campsites at an elevation of more than 4,900 metres (16,000ft). The incident occurred during "Golden Week"--  an eight-day holiday period in China when thousands travel across the country.

Visuals from the valley shared on social media showed hundreds of people stranded between snow-covered mountains with their support yaks and mules.

10月5日，珠峰东坡嘎玛沟，珠峰一营地近千人因暴雪被困。 pic.twitter.com/gWa1Ho81nF

— ying tang (@yingtan04410735) October 6, 2025

Survivors, who were rescued, described the situation in Karma Valley as intensely cold, with strong winds and snow up to a metre deep. They said their tents were buried, and trails vanished under a thick white layer of snow on Friday and Saturday. 

"It was the most extreme weather I've ever faced in all my hiking experiences, without question," Dong Shuchang, a Chinese trekker, said during an interview with The Guardian, describing the "violent convective snowstorm on the eastern slope" of Everest.

Another trekker told the publication that when he looked up in the middle of the night, he "saw that the snow had nearly covered the top." "It was the first time I truly felt the fear of being buried alive," he said. 

One Chinese hiker told the British publication that their group was "too scared to sleep" on Saturday while snow piled up around their tents. They decided to descend on Sunday as the weather worsened.

"On the way, we met our guide's father, who had come looking for him. That's when we learnt the snow was heavy in the valley, too; villagers, unable to contact their children on the mountain, were extremely worried."