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William Zheng

One person has been reported dead in the wake of the sudden blizzard that engulfed Tibet and Qinghai over the weekend, as rescuers continue to evacuate hundreds of hikers from the eastern slopes of Mount Everest, according to official media.
At noon on Monday, state broadcaster CCTV said that one hiker died from hypothermia and altitude sickness on Sunday in the Laohugou area of Qinghai province’s Haibei prefecture.
As of Monday morning, 137 hikers had been safely evacuated from the area – known for its complex terrain and unpredictable weather – after Haibei prefecture deployed more than 300 rescuers and two drones to search the area.


Local police said the continuous snowfall made search and rescue operations in the Laohugou area, which has an average altitude of over 4,000 metres (13,000 feet), very challenging.
Hundreds of hikers were also stranded on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet over the weekend.
Around 350 people were guided to safety, with rescuers in contact with 200 others, who were expected to be safely returned, the official party newspaper People’s Daily said on Monday.
The report, which quoted officials from Tingri county in Tibet’s Shigatse city, said hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams had been mobilised to clear snow blocking access to the walkers who were stranded at an altitude of more than 4,900m (16,000ft).
The county suspended ticket sales and closed some sections of roads to the Everest Scenic Area on both days of the weekend because of low visibility and unsafe travel conditions caused by the snowstorm, its Culture and Tourism Bureau said in a statement on Sunday.
Tibet is increasingly popular with more affluent and adventurous Chinese tourists, with people flocking to the Tibetan valley leading to Mount Everest’s eastern face over the weekend during the eight-day “golden week” national holiday.

October has always been a peak hiking season for Everest and its hinterland, a time of year when the temperatures are less harsh and the skies are normally clear. The blizzard surprised even experienced hikers.
Video clips of tents buried in thick snow as rescuers guided tourist groups around blocked paths and roads in blizzard conditions were widely circulated on Chinese social media platforms.
In one video, a local guide said the blizzard was “very unusual for this time of year” and had taken many by surprise.
A hiker surnamed Chen who was evacuated to Qudang township told the South China Morning Post on Monday that the storm happened “very suddenly”.
“We were caught off guard. When we embarked, the weather was very good. But a snowstorm suddenly blanketed the region on Friday evening and intensified on Saturday and Sunday,” he said.
“Some tourists did not have rain-resistant coats. The sudden blizzard made them wet and cold, I was worried that some might face hypothermia.”


According to Chen, visibility dropped to less than five metres (16 feet) and the hikers organised themselves into groups, taking turns to clear the knee-deep snow during the evacuation.
The extreme weather has also caused mayhem in other parts of the region. In neighbouring Nepal, at least 47 people have died since Friday after heavy rains triggered landslides and floods.
Every year many people try to climb the world’s highest peak, which stands at more than 8,849 metres (29,000 feet), and where there have been multiple fatalities.


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A rescue effort is underway on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest after an unseasonal blizzard struck on the weekend, stranding hundreds of hikers. Photo: Handout

Rescuers guide hikers through heavy snow down the eastern slopes of Mount Everest while hundreds remain stranded. Photo: Handout

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200 people still stranded as of Monday morning after unseasonal weather blasts hikers at start of ‘golden week’ holiday


200 people still stranded as of Monday morning after unseasonal weather blasts hikers at start of ‘golden week’ holiday.


Mount Everest

Tibet

CCTV

1 dead in Qinghai, hundreds evacuated as China’s rescue in Everest area continues

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}200 people still stranded as of Monday morning after unseasonal weather blasts hikers at start of ‘golden week’ holiday

200 people still stranded as of Monday morning after unseasonal weather blasts hikers at start of ‘golden week’ holiday