Rescue operations were underway on October 5 to clear roads and reach nearly 1,000 people stranded on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest after a severe blizzard blocked access routes, according to Chinese state media reports.
Rescue operations were underway on October 5 to clear roads and reach nearly 1,000 people stranded on the Tibetan side of Mount Everest after a severe blizzard blocked access routes, according to Chinese state media reports.
Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams have been mobilized to remove thick snow blocking roads leading to campsites on the mountain’s eastern slope, situated at an altitude of over 4,900 metres, Jimu News reported.
Authorities said some tourists trapped on the mountain have already been safely evacuated. The heavy snowfall began on the evening of October 3 and continued throughout October 4, prompting officials in Tingri County to suspend ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area from late October 4.
Meanwhile, across the border in Nepal, torrential rains have triggered landslides and flash floods since October 3, destroying roads and bridges and claiming at least 47 lives, police said.
Thirty-five people were killed in multiple landslides in the eastern Ilam District bordering India, while nine others remain missing after being swept away by floodwaters. Three more deaths were reported elsewhere in the country due to lightning strikes.
