A desperate rescue operation is underway as hundreds of hikers are stuck on Mount Everest.
After an ‘unusually high’ level of snowfall and a blizzard on the Tibetan slopes of the highest mountain in the world (above sea level), hundreds of locals and rescuers have been deployed to clear the snow blocking access to the area.
The heavy snowfall began on Friday evening (3 October) before intensifying on the popular hiking spot of the eastern slopes of Everest.
It was reported today that 350 hikers had been evacuated, while the around 200 remaining have been contacted.
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Not only is it known as the hiking season in Tibet right now but there is also currently a big eight-day holiday across China, the ‘Golden Week Holiday’, meaning the trails were more likely to be filled with visitors and tourists.
The Himalayas have been hit by extreme weather recently, with it reported that at least 47 people have died in Nepal following landslides and floods.
While there has not yet been an immediate update on the rescue efforts for the remaining 200 hikers, an earlier report from Jimu News (an online Chinese news outlet) said they had been trapped at an elevation of more than 4,900 metres.
It is said they will arrive in the small township of Qudang (which has been marked as a meeting point) under the guidance and assistance of rescuers organised by the local government. Geshuang Chen was part of a group of 11 hikers who set off on 4 October and decided to trek back the next day when the severe blizzard meant the snowfall was far higher than expected.
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“When we woke up the next morning, the snow was already about a metre deep,” she explained to the BBC, with it taking them nearly six hours to trek back due to the path being buried under deep snow.
“All of us are experienced hikers,” she added. “But this blizzard was still extremely difficult to deal with. I was so lucky to get out.”
The report from Chinese state media did not make it clear if trekkers near the north face of Everest had been affected or if local guides and support staff had been accounted for.
The easily accessed north face tends to draw large numbers of tourists with October typically the peak season as skies usually tend to clear.
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The weather is now set to improve, with more sunny spells expected over the next few days.
Topics: Mount Everest, Weather, World News
Jess Battison