About 900 hikers, guides, and other individuals who were trapped by a snowstorm on the Chinese side of Mount Everest have successfully reached safety, as per state media reports on Tuesday. The severe storm hit the area on Saturday night, isolating the hikers who were camping at an altitude of over 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).
A total of 580 hikers and over 300 guides, yak herders, and support personnel were stranded due to the storm. By Monday noon, approximately 350 hikers had managed to descend, with the remaining individuals rescued by Tuesday, according to local government sources.
Reports indicated that some hikers suffered from hypothermia, and around a dozen of them were guided to a designated meeting point by rescue teams equipped with essential supplies such as food, medicine, heating, and oxygen.
The picturesque Mount Everest area in China’s Tibet region has been temporarily shut down following the incident. Standing at 8,850 meters (29,000 feet), Mount Everest is the world’s highest peak, straddling the border between China and Nepal.
The snowstorm occurred during a national holiday that concludes on Wednesday. This holiday, commemorating the inception of Communist Party rule in China on October 1, 1949, sees a significant number of Chinese travelers both domestically and internationally.
In a separate incident in Nepal, a South Korean climber lost his life during a weekend storm near the summit of Mera Peak, a Himalayan mountain south of Everest measuring 6,476 meters (21,250 feet). Additionally, early-season snowstorms impacted other regions in western China over the weekend, resulting in one fatality and stranding motorists near a popular hiking area due to icy conditions.
Authorities evacuated over 200 individuals from a remote valley in Qinghai province, where one person succumbed to hypothermia and altitude sickness. Access to this undeveloped region was restricted due to challenging terrain, unpredictable weather, and an average elevation exceeding 4,000 meters (13,000 feet).
In Xinjiang region’s Kanas scenic area, a snowstorm led to the closure of the site and stranded motorists on a nearby highway. However, the road was cleared by Monday, as reported by state media.
