BEIJING (AP) — About 900 hikers, guides, and other staff who were stranded by a weekend snowstorm on the Chinese side of Mount Everest have reached safety, state media reported late Tuesday.
A severe storm struck the area Saturday night, cutting off access to the site where the hikers were staying in tents at an altitude of more than 4,900 meters (16,000 feet). In total, 580 hikers along with more than 300 guides, yak herders, and other workers were stranded.
Approximately 350 hikers managed to descend by noon Monday, and the remaining individuals had arrived safely by Tuesday, according to local government sources cited by state media. Some hikers reportedly suffered from hypothermia. The official Xinhua News Agency noted that about a dozen of them were escorted to a meeting point by rescue teams equipped with food, medicine, heating, and oxygen supplies.
The scenic area at Mount Everest in China’s Tibet region has been temporarily closed due to the storm. Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at 8,850 meters (29,000 feet), straddles the border between China and Nepal.
The storm occurred during a weeklong holiday in China, which concludes Wednesday. This holiday commemorates the anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China on October 1, 1949, and is a popular travel period with many Chinese vacationing both domestically and abroad.
Meanwhile, in Nepal, a South Korean climber died amid a weekend storm near the summit of Mera Peak, a 6,476-meter (21,250-foot) Himalayan mountain located south of Everest.
Early-season snowstorms also affected at least two other regions in western China over the weekend. One person was killed and several motorists were stranded on an icy and snowy highway near a scenic hiking spot.
More than 200 people were evacuated from a remote, rugged valley in the Qilian Mountains in Qinghai province. One casualty was reported, with the individual succumbing to hypothermia and altitude sickness. Authorities warned against unauthorized entry into the area, citing its difficult terrain, unpredictable weather, and an average altitude exceeding 4,000 meters (13,000 feet).
In northwest China’s Xinjiang region, the Kanas scenic area was closed after a snowstorm on Sunday stranded motorists on a nearby highway. State media reported the road was cleared by Monday, allowing traffic to resume.
https://wgntv.com/news/ap-hundreds-of-hikers-rescued-from-mount-everest-after-severe-snowstorm/