Nearly 1,000 trekkers trapped on Everest slopes by Tibet blizzard, rescue efforts on
Heavy snowfall started Friday evening (Oct 3) on the eastern slopes, blocking access to campsites at 4,900 metres; rescue teams and villagers have been deployed for clearance
Rescue efforts were underway on Sunday (October 5) in the remote Tibetan slopes of Mount Everest where a blizzard has trapped nearly 1,000 people in campsites on the eastern side of the world's tallest mountain. Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to clear out snow blocking access to the area which sits at an altitude of more than 4,900 metres.
Some tourists have already been rescued, BBC reported, quoting local media. Heavy snowfall began on Friday evening (Oct 3) and has intensified on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet, which is an area popular with climbers and hikers.
Also Read: Bodies of 4 more trekkers en route to Sahastra Tal recovered, 13 survivors rescued
‘Risk of hypothermia’
About 350 trekkers reached the small township of Qudang by Sunday. One of these trekkers told Reuters that it was so wet and cold in the mountains that hypothermia was a real risk. He also said that this kind of weather is not normal and his guide had told him that he had never experienced such an extreme weather in October.
The local news reports were not clear whether local guides and support staff of the trekking parties had been accounted for. There is also uncertainty if trekkers near the north face of Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not.
Mt Everest, called Mt Qomolangma in China, is the world's highest peak at over 8,849 metres. The north face, due to its easy access by paved road, attracts large numbers of tourists.
The skies are usually clear in October, a peak season at the world’s highest mountain peak. This year saw slightly larger number of trekkers who utilised the opportunity of an eight-day national day holiday in China.
Neighbouring Nepal too has been battered by heavy rains which triggered landslides and flash floods resulting in the death of 52 people.
Also Read: Four Karnataka trekkers die in Uttarakhand due to extreme weather
Typhoon Matmo
Meanwhile, Typhoon Matmo, the 21st-named storm of the 2025 Pacific typhoon season, made landfall along the eastern coast of Xuwen County, Zhanjiang City in south China's Guangdong Province on Sunday (October 5).
The local governments evacuated about 3,47,000 people from the southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan ahead of the approaching typhoon which had maximum speeds of 151 kmph.
(With agency inputs)