Over the weekend, heavy snowfall trapped hundreds of tourists walking in a remote Tibetan valley leading to the eastern face of Mount Everest. A heavily traveled route these days due to coinciding with an eight-day national holiday in China.
Chinese state media, closely following the rescue operation, reported that about 350 people were rescued on Sunday, being taken to the small town of Qudang at the foot of the Himalayas, while over 200 hikers remained trapped by the storm. By noon on Monday, state broadcaster CCTV said a man had died of hypothermia in a nearby area.
The Karma valley, where a sudden snowfall surprised on Friday, is located over 4,200 meters high and attracts large groups of tourists from various parts of China, especially during holidays, mainly in October.
"The heavy snowfall started on Friday night. There was a lot of humidity and cold, so the risk of hypothermia was very high," recounted Chen Geshuang to Reuters, who was part of one of the teams transferred to Qudang by rescuers organized by the authorities.
A local newspaper estimated on Monday that around 1,000 people may have been trapped over the weekend on the mountain. The Chinese state broadcaster detailed that hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams were deployed to help remove the snow blocking access to the area.
Viral videos recorded by tourists on Chinese social media show tents buried under layers of snow while rescuers guided groups through blocked paths. "This storm is very unusual for this time of year, when the skies are usually clearer," explained a local guide.
"We only had a few tents and could hardly sleep because we had to go out every 10 minutes to clear the snow. When the temperature dropped, two people in our group fell due to hypothermia," recounted another rescued group member.
In addition to the snow, over the weekend, heavy rains and landslides have caused the suspension of many excursions on one of the access routes to the Everest base camp from Nepal. At least 47 people have been reported dead since Friday in this area, while in another district bordering India, 35 more deaths have been reported due to floods.