Everest hikers guided to safety after being stranded by snowstorm

A total of 580 hikers stranded by bad weather near Mount Everest have been guided to safety in Tibet, according to Chinese state media.

The hikers arrived in and around the small township of Qudang, accompanied by 300 local guides, yak handlers and other support staff, CCTV reported on Tuesday.

A final group of around 10 hikers, accompanied by rescuers, has not yet reached Qudang but has reached a meeting point equipped with heating equipment, oxygen and other emergency supplies.

Tourists were left stranded at an altitude of more than 4,900m after heavy snow blocked their route to the eastern slopes of Everest over the weekend.

The blizzard hit during China’s eight-day Golden Week holiday, a peak season for local tourism.

October generally offers clear skies and pleasant temperatures, making it one of the prime months for hiking in the Mount Everest region.

Hundreds of hikers headed to the Karma Valley Hiking Trail, a lesser-known but scenic route to the base of Everest, which also offers views of the world’s highest peak.

Heavy snowfall began Friday evening and intensified over the weekend, taking mountain guides by surprise.

One hiker, who has visited the Himalayas more than a dozen times, told the BBC he had “never experienced weather like this”.

Dong Shuchang, 27, said several people in his group of 20 showed signs of hypothermia.

Chen Geshuang, who was part of Mr. Dong’s hiking group, said the snow was about one meter thick when the group began their retreat on Sunday.

“We are all experienced hikers,” Ms. Chen said. “But this blizzard was still extremely difficult to deal with. I was so lucky to get through it.”

Police, firefighters and hundreds of local Tibetan volunteers were mobilized for relief efforts.

Another woman told the BBC that her husband, stuck in the storm, barely slept in his tent because he was afraid of being buried in the snow.

Eric Wen told Reuters that three people in his group suffered from hypothermia despite being adequately dressed.

They barely slept because it was snowing so hard and his group had to shovel snow every 10 minutes.

“Otherwise our tents would have collapsed,” he added.

In a distinct mountainous region in western China, Qinghai province, a hiker died of hypothermia and altitude sickness and 137 others were evacuated, CCTV said.

Neighboring Nepal, south of Tibet, was also hit by torrential rains, causing severe flooding and landslides that killed more than 50 people.