- Nearly 1,000 trekkers were trapped after a blizzard struck Mount Everest
- Over 350 people were rescued from the treacherous conditions
- Trekkers faced hypothermia risks amid strong winds and near-zero visibility
Over 350 people were rescued from treacherous conditions near Mount Everest in Tibet after a sudden blizzard struck the region. Videos show blizzard-like conditions across the area, with strong winds, heavy snowfall, and near-zero visibility.
Trekkers, sherpas, and campers were seen stranded, clinging to their positions alongside yaks carrying supplies. Tents struggled under the weight of accumulating snow, with some nearly half-buried.
The remote Karma Valley, which leads to Everest's eastern Kangshung face, had seen hundreds of visitors this week taking advantage of China's eight-day National Day holiday.
Over the weekend, almost 1,000 people were trapped when unusually heavy snow and rainfall hit the Tingri region, one of the main routes to the world's tallest mountain.
Hundreds of trekkers stranded near Everest's eastern face were guided to safety, Chinese media CCTV reported. As of Sunday, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact had been made with more than 200 others still on the route.
"It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk," Chen Geshuang, a trekker who was rescued, told CNN.
Snowfall in the valley, which lies at an average elevation of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet), began on Friday evening and persisted through Saturday. The remaining trekkers are expected to arrive in Qudang in stages, guided by rescuers organised by the local government.
Ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of Tingri County Tourism Company.
"The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly," Chen told Reuters.
The CCTV report did not clarify whether local guides and support staff accompanying the trekking parties had been accounted for. It also remains unclear if trekkers near Everest's north face in Tibet were affected.
The remaining trekkers are expected to reach Qudang in stages, guided and assisted by rescuers organised by the local government.
In neighbouring Nepal, heavy rains have caused landslides and flash floods, destroying roads and bridges and killing at least 47 people since Friday. In the eastern Ilam district near the India border, 35 people died in separate landslides. Floodwaters swept away nine others, who are now missing, while lightning strikes killed three more across the country.
