It was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Mount Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not. Hundreds of villagers and emergency teams have been dispatched to clear thick layers of snow and reopen routes leading to the affected areas, Chinese outlet Jimu News reported. Authorities have confirmed that dozens of stranded tourists have already been escorted down the mountain to safety. On Friday (October 3) evening, snowfall began in the valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern face of Everest.

In China, about 150,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes due to destruction caused by Typhoon Matmo. “It was raining and snowing every day, and we did not see Everest at all,” said Mr Wen. On the other side of China, Typhoon Matmo has made landfall on the country’s eastern coast, forcing about 150,000 people to evacuate from their homes. Many hikers have made their way to the Karma Valley hiking trail, a lesser-known but scenic route to the base of Everest – which also offers a view of the world’s highest peak. They hardly slept because it was snowing too hard and his group had to clear the snow every 10 minutes.

Dangers of climbing Mount Everest

Tibet’s Blue Sky Rescue team had received a call for help saying that tents had collapsed due to heavy snow, and that some hikers were suffering from hypothermia. However, heavy snowfall began on Friday evening and continued throughout Saturday. China is in the middle of its week-long National Day holiday known as Golden Week, a peak season for local tourism. At least one hiker has died and more than 200 are still stranded on Everest’s eastern slopes in Tibet, an area popular with climbers and hikers, Chinese state media reported. Hikers caught in a shock blizzard near Mount Everest have spoken of experiencing hypothermia as they battled relentless snowfall, while rescuers continue to evacuate scores of people. Ticket sales and entry to the entire Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of the local Tingri County Tourism Company.

Blizzard Adds Pressure As Region Battles Extreme Weather

Notably, it is a relatively pristine part of the Everest region with most climbers opting for the north face. “It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” said Chen Geshuang, who was part of an 18-strong trekking team that made it to Qudang. While rescuers continue their efforts to bring down climbers from Mount Everest,Nepal is also struggling with landslides and floods, which have already claimed the lives of 64 people.

Another woman told the BBC that her husband who had been stuck in the snowstorm was slowly descending from the mountains, but thick snow cover has made his retreat extremely difficult. The disaster underscores the volatile weather conditions across the Himalayas, which continue to endanger residents, climbers, and tourists alike. Snowfall in the valley, which lies at an elevation averaging 4,200 metres, began on Friday evening and persisted throughout Saturday. In one video, taken on Sunday, a line of hikers can be seen wading through snow in poor visibility. As of Sunday, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the an additional 200-plus trekkers had been made, CCTV reported. Now, rescue workers are racing against the clock to reach the hikers, who are stuck at tourist campsites on the slopes of Mount Everest.

• The storm prompted the suspension of ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area over the weekend.
• Nearly 1,000 trekkers were stranded on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet on Sunday after a powerful blizzard swept through the region, blocking key access routes.
• As of Sunday, local time, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, and contact had been made with another 200-plus trekkers, Chinese state media reported.
• To the south of Tibet in Nepal, heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that blocked roads, washed away bridges and have killed at least 47 people since Friday.

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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. It is not known if local guides and support staff had been accounted for and it was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not.

• On Friday (October 3) evening, snowfall began in the valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern face of Everest.
• Acute mountain sickness, with symptoms of dizziness, vomiting and headaches, has also caused deaths.
• The CCTV report did not say if all local guides and support staff of the trekking parties had been accounted for.
• Hikers caught in a shock blizzard near Mount Everest have spoken of experiencing hypothermia as they battled relentless snowfall, while rescuers continue to evacuate scores of people.

October is a peak season, when skies usually clear at the end of the Indian monsoon. 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. The snowstorm left almost 1,000 trekkers trapped on the mountain, according to Chinese state media. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters, and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country.

Chen Geshuang, who was part of Mr Dong’s hiking group, said the snow was about a metre deep when the group started their retreat on Sunday. The 27-year-old had been to the Himalayas more than a dozen times, but plus500 canada said he has “never experienced weather like this”.

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Villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to help hundreds of hikers stranded on Mount Everest after a snowstorm. Ms Chen’s team began descending from the mountains on Sunday and was welcomed by villagers after enduring a harrowing evening of heavy snowfall combined with thunder and lightning. Hundreds of local villagers and rescue workers have been deployed to clear out snow blocking access to the area, which sits at an altitude of more than 4,900m (16,000ft).

Rescue efforts continue as hundreds still stranded near Everestpublished at 12:08 BST12:08 BST

“The lightning and thunderstorms would not stop. The snowfall was so heavy I could hardly sleep,” Mr Dong explained. He was looking forward to capturing the Himalayan marvel from the Tibetan slopes, when the snowstorm hit just hours after his trek started on Saturday. Nature photographer Dong Shuchang was among hundreds of tourists who flocked to the area during China’s Golden Week holiday. Mount Everest is one of the crown jewels for climbers but poses many risks. In fact, there’s been a total of an estimated 330 deaths at Mount Everest, with most of them being caused by avalanches or falls. Acute mountain sickness, with symptoms of dizziness, vomiting and headaches, has also caused deaths.

Nearly 1,000 trekkers were stranded on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet on Sunday after a powerful blizzard swept through the region, blocking key access routes. According to Chinese state media, the heavy snowfall, which is unusual for this time of year, has left several campsites isolated at altitudes exceeding 4,900 metres (16,000 feet). October usually marks a peak season on Everest, when post-monsoon skies typically clear. This year’s unusually heavy snowfall and rainfall disrupted the holiday season, coinciding with China’s eight-day National Day break. Authorities suspended ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area from late Saturday.

Visitors to the remote valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Mount Everest, were in the hundreds this week, taking advantage of an eight-day National Day holiday in China. A rescue effort is underway after a snowstorm trapped hundreds of people on Mount Everest in Tibet. As of Sunday, local time, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, and contact had been made with another 200-plus trekkers, Chinese state media reported. As clearing operations continue, authorities have urged trekkers and visitors to remain cautious and avoid venturing into high-altitude areas until conditions improve.

What is hypothermia?published at 11:05 BST11:05 BST

She added that her husband told her that the snow kept piling up and he even barely slept at night as he was “afraid of being buried if he fell into a deep sleep”. Another hiker, Eric Wen, told Reuters that three people in his group suffered from hypothermia even though they were adequately dressed. Her husband had told her that he barely slept in his tent because he was afraid of being buried in the snow, the woman said. “Even for rescuers, it’s not easy, they need to clear snow to make a path,” said the woman, who declined to be named. “But this blizzard was still extremely difficult to deal with. I was so lucky to get out.” “Our windbreakers and raincoats were no match for the snow. We were all drenched,” he said, adding that several people in his group of 20 showed signs of hypothermia.