A huge and sudden snowstorm on the Tibetan slopes of Mount Everest, caught almost 1,000 hikers in remote camps during the National Day Holiday Weekend of China, according to media reports.
Reuters And Jimu News reported on Sunday that at least 350 people have achieved safety so far, while contacting a few hundred others who are still stranded in the Snowbound region.
The storm struck on Friday and dumped heavy snow and rain over the Himalayas, according to reports.
The worst circumstances came close to the eastern Kangshung face of Everest, in the karma valley of Tibet, where the heights on average more than 13,779 ft.
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Redors wear a Sherpa that was injured by an avalanche that floated on parts of the Everest -Basis camp in 2015. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty images)
The snowfall continued until Saturday, blocking roads and paths and cutting access to various routes that are popular during China’s eight -day National Day holidays.
China Central Television (CCTV) also said that the hundreds of rescued tractors were brought to Quendang Township under the guidance of local rescue teams.
Hundreds of more are expected to reach the area in phases, because villagers and care providers release deep snow from mountain passes.
Jimu News, an outlet supported by the state, estimated that nearly 1,000 people, including walkers, guides and local support staff, were trapped when the snowstorm struck.
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The entrance to Everest National Park, in Tibet and near where tractors are saved after a snowstorm has hit. (Tim Johnson/MCT/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Rescue efforts have involved hundreds of local villagers and members of the Blue Sky Rescue Team from Tibet, who reported that he received emergency calls on collapsed tents and cases of hypothermia.
“It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” said a tractor, Chen Geshuang, who was part of an 18-member trekking team that reached Quendang, to Reuters.
“The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never come across such a weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly,” said Chen.
The Tibetan regional government is said to have organized coordinated search and rescue operations, causing heavy machines to be sent to reopen snow-blocking roads that lead to the affected campsites.
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Mount Qomolangma or Mount Everest in Tibet, where a snowstorm is caught up to 1,000 tractors. (HU Guoheng/VCG via Getty images)
Authorities have suspended ticket sales and closed access to the Everest Scenic area on Saturday evening, according to the official WeChat account of the Tingri County Tourism Company.
It remains unclear whether tractors on the north wall of Everest, also in Tibet, but more easily more accessible by road, were influenced by the same weather system.
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The extreme weather also beated neighboring Nepal, where heavy rains have caused landslides and 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 they have been wiped out by flood water, by Reuters.
