Rescue efforts are under way on Mount Everest after a snowstorm trapped nearly 1,000 people in campsites on the eastern side of the mountain, according to Chinese state media.
Hundreds of trekkers stranded by a blizzard near the eastern face of the mountain in Tibet were guided to safety by rescuers on Sunday, as unusually heavy precipitation including rain pummelled the Himalayas.
As of Sunday, 350 people 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, were in the hundreds this week, taking advantage of an eight-day National Day holiday in China.
Snowfall in the valley, which lies at an elevation averaging 4,200 metres (13,779 feet), began on Friday evening and persisted throughout Saturday.
The remaining trekkers would arrive in Qudang in stages under the guidance and assistance of rescuers organised by the local government, CCTV reported. Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams had been deployed to help remove snow blocking access to the area, according to an earlier report by state-backed Jimu News.
Jimu News estimated that nearly 1,000 people had been trapped. The CCTV report did not say if local guides and support staff of 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 or not.
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 clear with the end of the Indian monsoon.
Ticket sales and entry to the entire Everest scenic area were suspended from Saturday, 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 that have blocked roads, washed away bridges and killed at least 47 people since Friday.
Thirty-five 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.
