Evacuation of stranded Everest trekkers set to wrap up on Oct 7
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Tibetan firefighters rescue trekkers from Mount Everest after they were stranded by a blizzard.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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BEIJING – Efforts to evacuate more than 200 trekkers still stranded
Outdoor enthusiasts have flocked to China’s rugged interior since an eight-day holiday began on Oct 1. But a sudden blizzard over the weekend caught hundreds of hikers, who were seeking a glimpse of Everest’s Kangshung face, off-guard.
Their evacuation, which began on Oct 6, should be completed by Oct 7, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity in the absence of authorisation to speak to media on the matter. Tibet’s regional government had no immediate comment.
Snow started falling in the Karma valley, which lies at an altitude averaging 4,200m, on the evening of Oct 3 and continued on Oct 4.
Snow fell all day on Oct 4 in Tibet’s remote Karma valley, at an average altitude of 4,200m. On Oct 5, rescuers had guided about 350 stranded hikers to safety.
“Thankfully, some people ahead of us were breaking trail, leaving footprints we could follow that made it a little easier,” said Mr Eric Wen, 41, adding that he trudged through 19km, most of it in heavy snow, to leave the valley.
“Otherwise, it would’ve been impossible for us to make it out on our own.”
The regional authorities helped Mr Wen and others on his expedition reach the Tibetan capital of Lhasa by Oct 6.
There has been no official word on the condition of the remaining trekkers since then, even though Chinese state media reported that communication with them had been established.
“If there is bad weather coming in, trekkers and climbers should alert the local authorities on exactly where they are and should stay in a safe place – either a shelter, lodge or tent that is clear of avalanche zones or far from the riverbed or somehow sheltered,” British mountaineer Adriana Brownlee told Reuters.
“All trekkers and climbers should always carry at least one satellite phone or tracking device.”
First explored by Western travellers a century ago, the valley is relatively pristine. In contrast to the arid north face of the world’s highest mountain, it is swathed in lush vegetation and untouched alpine forests fed by glacier melt.
‘Metre of snow’
The snowstorm also thwarted the plans of climbers guided by US-based Madison Mountaineering to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188m peak on China’s border with Nepal that is the world’s sixth highest.
“A major storm suddenly developed and dumped over a metre of snow on Everest and the surrounding Himalayan peaks,” expedition leader Garrett Madison told Reuters in a text message on Oct 7.
When the weather improves, they aim to resume their ascent.
North of Tibet, one trekker died of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness after being stranded by snowstorms on Oct 5 in a gully in the Qilian mountains on the border of the western provinces of Qinghai and Gansu.
By the evening of Oct 6, 213 in the Qilian area were pulled to safety, China Central Television (CCTV) said on Oct 7. Highways had been cleared of dangerous ice and snow that blanketed them at the weekend, stranding tourist vehicles.
On Oct 7, the authorities farther west in Xinjiang suspended hiking and camping in the lake district of Kanas in the Altai mountains. Police have so far convinced more than 300 hikers heading for the area to turn back.
Police patrolling the area on Oct 5 had encountered a group of 16 hikers, one of whom, showing symptoms of hypothermia and unable to move, was taken to hospital and is now in a stable condition, CCTV added. REUTERS
