All stranded hikers, guides, herders rescued from Everest region after blizzard, snowfall

By Asiye Latife Yilmaz

ISTANBUL (AA) – Hundreds of hikers, local guides, and yak herders have been safely rescued after being stranded in freezing conditions due to a heavy snowstorm over the weekend on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet.

Chinese authorities have rescued 580 hikers from the eastern slopes of Mount Everest, state-run media reported Wednesday.

In the Everest region, while the Nepal side is said to have been less affected, the Tibetan side—the east side of Everest—has been hit harder than the Nepal side, Nepali sustainability advocate Sushil Khadka told Anadolu.

On Sunday, local media reported that at least one hiker had died and nearly 1,000 were stranded following a sudden snowstorm that hit Tibet and Qinghai over the weekend and blocked access roads and collapsed tents.

Khadka said the larger crowd on the Tibetan side was due to several high-altitude events and activities organized there to promote commercial tourism, while the Nepal side is currently limited mainly to trekking to the Everest Base Camp.

The hikers and more than 300 personnel, including local guides and yak herders, have arrived safely in Qudeng township and nearby areas, said Xinhua News Agency, citing local government officials.

“Expedition doesn't happen during autumn, only the spring season,” Khadka said, as the Everest region faces peak trekking season in autumn. He added that recent bad weather and unexpected blizzards disrupted travel, despite government measures limiting movement over the weekend.

Following days of heavy snowfall, the Solukhumbu district administration, police, and the Trekking Agencies’ Association of Nepal (TAAN) jointly verified there were no stranded visitors, according to the Kathmandu Post.

“No tourists are trapped in our region. Our information system is active and efficient. Everyone is travelling safely and without disruption,” Chief District Officer Leela Kumari KC Pandey said.