About 900 hikers, guides, and other personnel who were trapped by a snowstorm on the Chinese side of Mount Everest have been safely evacuated, as per state media reports on Tuesday. A severe storm hit the area on Saturday night, blocking access to where the hikers were located in tents at an altitude exceeding 4,900 meters (16,000 feet).
In total, 580 hikers and over 300 guides, yak herders, and additional workers were stranded. By Monday noon, approximately 350 hikers had descended, with the remainder reaching safety by Tuesday, according to local government sources. Several of the hikers suffered from hypothermia, and about a dozen were guided to a designated meeting point by rescue teams equipped with essential supplies like food, medicine, heating, and oxygen.
The picturesque Mount Everest area in China’s Tibet region has been temporarily shut down. Standing at 8,850 meters (29,000 feet), Mount Everest is the world’s highest peak, straddling the border with Nepal.
The snowstorm occurred during a weeklong holiday that concludes on Wednesday, a period when many Chinese citizens travel domestically and internationally. This holiday commemorates the anniversary of the establishment of Communist Party rule in China on October 1, 1949.
On the Nepal side, a South Korean climber lost their life in a weekend storm near the summit of Mera Peak, a 6,476-meter (21,250-foot) Himalayan mountain situated south of Everest. Early-season snowstorms affected at least two other regions in western China over the weekend, resulting in one fatality and stranding motorists on a snowy and icy highway near a popular hiking destination.
Over 200 individuals were rescued from a remote valley in the Qilian Mountains in Qinghai province, where one person succumbed to hypothermia and altitude sickness. Due to the challenging terrain, unpredictable weather, and average altitude exceeding 4,000 meters (13,000 feet), authorities cautioned against unauthorized entry into the area.
In Xinjiang province’s northwest China, the Kanas scenic area was closed following a snowstorm that left motorists stranded on a nearby highway. By Monday, the road had been cleared, as reported by state media.