Hundreds of trekkers escape from blizzard-struck Everest in Tibet
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A screengrab from a video shows trekkers leaving their campsite as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummelled the Himalayas, in the Tibet Region, China, on Oct 5.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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SHANGHAI/BEIJING – Hundreds of trekkers stranded by a blizzard near the eastern face of Mount Everest in Tibet were guided to safety by rescuers, Chinese state media outlets reported on Oct 5, as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummelled the Himalayas.
As at Oct 5, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the remaining 200-plus trekkers had been made, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
Visitors to the remote valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Everest, numbered in the hundreds this week, taking advantage of an eight-day national day holiday in China.
“It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” said Ms Chen Geshuang, who was part of an 18-strong trekking team that made it to Qudang.
“The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly,” she told Reuters.
Snow, thunder and lightning
Snowfall in the valley, which lies at an elevation averaging 4,200m, began on the evening of Oct 3 and persisted throughout Oct 4.
The remaining trekkers were expected to arrive in Qudang in stages under the guidance and assistance of rescuers organised by the local government, CCTV reported.
Ms Chen’s party descended from the mountains on Oct 5 and was greeted by villagers after enduring a harrowing evening of heavy snowfall combined with thunder and lightning.
With tears in her eyes, she accepted their offers of sweet tea and the promise of warmth.
“Back in the village, we had a meal and were finally warm,” she said.
Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams had been deployed to help remove snow blocking access to the area, where nearly 1,000 people had been trapped, according to an earlier report by state-backed Jimu News.
North face of Everest
The CCTV report did not say if local guides and support staff from the trekking parties had been accounted for. It was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected.
The north face of Everest, due to its easy access by paved road, regularly draws large numbers of tourists. October is a peak season, when skies usually clear at the end of the Indian monsoon.
Ticket sales and entry to the entire Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Oct 4, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of the local Tingri County Tourism Company.
To the south of Tibet in Nepal, heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods
A total of 35 people died in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district bordering India. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by flood waters, and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country. REUTERS
