A blizzard on Mount Everest’s Tibetan slopes has trapped nearly 1,000 hikers and guides in remote camps during China’s National Day holiday, according to state media reports. The storm, which struck on Friday, dumped heavy snow and rain across the Himalayas, disrupting access to several routes popular during the eight-day holiday. Rescue teams are working tirelessly to reach stranded trekkers, with hundreds already brought to safety and more expected as villagers and emergency workers clear deep snow from mountain passes.
CCTV reported that several hundred rescued trekkers were brought to Qudang township under the guidance of local rescue teams. Jimu news, a state-backed outlet, estimated that nearly 1,000 people, including hikers, guides, and local support staff, had been trapped when the blizzard struck. Rescue efforts have involved hundreds of local villagers and members of Tibet’s Blue Sky Rescue Team, who reported receiving distress calls about collapsed tents and cases of hypothermia. One trekker, Chen Geshuang, who made it to Qudang, described the extreme conditions, saying, “The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly.”
The Tibetan regional government has organized coordinated search and rescue operations, sending heavy machinery to reopen snow-blocked roads leading to the affected campsites. Authorities have suspended ticket sales and closed entry to the Everest Scenic Area on Saturday evening, according to the Tingri County Tourism Company’s official WeChat account. It remains unclear whether trekkers on the north face of Everest, also located in Tibet but more easily accessible by road, were impacted by the same weather system.
The extreme weather has also battered neighboring Nepal, where heavy rains have triggered landslides and flash floods, killing at least 47 people since Friday. Thirty-five people died in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district near the Indian border, while others remain missing after being swept away by floodwaters, per Reuters. The situation has raised concerns about the safety of high-altitude trekkers and underscores the challenges of navigating extreme weather conditions in remote mountain regions.