Almost 1,000 trapped on Tibetan side of Mount Everest by blizzard

SHANGHAI – Rescue efforts were underway on Oct 5 to clear access to campsites on Tibet’s eastern slope of Mount Everest, where nearly 1,000 people have been trapped by a blizzard that blocked roads, according to Chinese state media reports.

Hundreds of villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to help remove snow blocking access to the area, which sits at an altitude above 4,900m, said a report in Jimu News.

Some tourists on the mountain have already been brought down, it added.

The snowfall began on the evening of Oct 3 and continued throughout Oct 4, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of the Tingri County Tourism Company, which said ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Oct 4.

Just across the border in Nepal, heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that blocked roads, washed away bridges and killed at least 47 people since Oct 3, police said.

Thirty-five people died in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district bordering India. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters, and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country. REUTERS