Live Reporting: The severity of this storm has taken experienced guides and hikers by surprise.
Rescue workers carry stranded hikers on their backs
It is difficult to get information from this remote part of Tibet, but social media appears to paint a picture of both the chaos of the storm and the calm of the rescuers.
Guides were filmed trying to shovel snow in the dark to prevent tents and hikers becoming utterly submerged in deep wet snow.
After the alarm was raised, rescuers, including teams from the Tibetan fire service hiked through the night. Footage showed them carrying struggling walkers on their backs. Hundreds were led to safety, step-by-step wading through snow covered paths.
Their route down appears to have become unrecognisable, only locals knew the way and their yaks and horses helped carry equipment to those who’d become trapped.
Another hiker filmed villagers handing out warm food once she had finally reached the nearest village.
Visitors will spend thousands of dollars to catch just a glimpse of the world’s tallest mountain and these treks are heavily regulated on the Chinese side.
But as this weekend has shown, even when guides have made all the preparations possible, the Himalayan weather can prove to be unpredictable and dangerous.
Hikers huddled in hotel room with no power
Dong Shuchang, 27, an avid nature photographer who is en route to Lhasa after leaving the snowed-in trail yesterday spoke to source.
Last night he huddled with fellow hikers in a chilly hotel room in Qudang township, where there was no water or electricity, and limited phone signal.
“We made do in the shabby hotel, to rest for one night,” he told the BBC.
When the group left the hotel this morning, there was still no power, he said.
“Our windbreakers and raincoats were no match for the snow. We were all drenched,” he said.
“In this place with such heavy snow, in my experience it’s very easy to get hypothermia.”
Dong’s escape from the trail was lined with wet snow and falling sleet.
“A lot of people descended with us. But everyone was moving slowly. The route was very slippery. I kept falling because of the ice,” he said.
As he descended he saw a lot of rescuers going up the trail to evacuate others deeper in the mountains.
Local authorities had earlier said that they’ve made contact with around 200 people still on the mountain.
Hundreds evacuated from Everest after snowstorm
Unusually heavy snow and rain in the Himalayas trapped hundreds of people in campsites on the Tibetan slopes near Mount Everest.
Around 350 hikers have been evacuated to safety in a local township, while more than 200 people remaining have been contacted, according to Chinese state media.
This comes amid days of extreme weather in the region. In neighbouring Nepal, at least 47 people have died since Friday after heavy rains triggered landslides and floods.
Everest is the world’s highest peak at over 8,849m. Although many people attempt to climb the summit every year, it is considered an incredibly dangerous hike.
Stick with us as we bring you the latest on the rescue efforts.
Stuck high on a mountain with a risk of hyperthermia
BBC spoke to Rebecca Stephens, a seasoned Himalayas trekker and the first British woman to reach the summit of Everest, about the conditions the stranded climbers are facing.
“You have a combination of cold and wet snow, there is a risk of hypothermia,” says Stephens, who has participated in several expeditions in the area.
“On the north side there is a track that takes you to base camp, and with luck, people would be able to get out”.
But for people higher than base camp, they’ll be on foot. “If you are stuck high on the mountain on very heavy snow – you have to get yourself down.”
Stephens says we are seeing changing weather patterns in the Himalayas. “You would expect the monsoon to have finished weeks ago but we’re still seeing very heavy rainfall in Nepal. It tends to be drier on the Tibetan side of the mountain and this is an unusually heavy snow fall, which comes with avalanche risk.”
Across the Himalayas, Nepal has been hit by deadly floods
The same storm battered the Himalayan region causing landslides and floods on the Nepalese side of Mount Everest which have killed at least 40 people.
In the eastern mountain district of Ilam, whole villages were swept away by landslides, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
There are warnings that the death toll could rise as officials try to trace people missing since Saturday. The heavy rainfall is reportedly hampering efforts to reach affected villages as many roads have been swept away.
Nepal’s government issued a severe rainfall warning in the eastern and central parts of the country from Saturday to Monday.
The storm hit as hundreds of thousands of people were returning to Kathmandu after celebrating Dashain, the biggest festival in the Himalayan nation.
Sunny spells – and showers – expected ahead
October can provide fine, sunny days at Mount Everest but, as we’ve seen over the last few days, that isn’t guaranteed.
The southwest monsoon, which brings cloud and rain across the area from June to September, is retreating and while that often means sunnier conditions across the Himalayas it is also a time of year where depressions and cyclonic storms can form in the Bay of Bengal.
If these potent areas of low pressure drift northwards they can bring torrential rain and snow across the mountains of the Himalayas, which is exactly what has happened this time.
The same weather system has also brought deadly floods to parts of Nepal.
The forecast for the next few days looks much quieter and more typical for the time of year.
Sunny spells will be interspersed with just a few scattered snow showers, albeit with gusty winds at times.
Here’s what we know so far
As hikers continue making their way back to safety after getting caught in a snowstorm near Mount Everest, here’s a recap of what we know so far:
- Heavy snowfall began on Friday evening and intensified on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet, a popular hiking spot
- The snowstorm affected hundreds in Karma Valley, a lesser-known trail leading to the base of Everest
- On Monday, Chinese state media reported that 350 people were evacuated while around 200 remaining have been contacted
- Some hikers are still making their way out of the mountains and back to safety – an arduous journey given the thick snow that has blanketed the trail
- Hundreds of locals and rescuers have been deployed to clear the snow blocking access to the area
- “I was so lucky to get out,” a hiker tells the BBC after they were caught in the blizzard. The snow was a metre deep when they woke up in their tents, she recalls
- Tourism is booming in China this Golden Week holiday, with many coming to hike in Karma Valley
- The Himalayas have faced extreme weather in recent days. At least 47 people have died in neighbouring Nepal after heavy rains triggered landslides and floods
Hikers ‘hardly slept’ in snowstorm
Eric Wen, who was in a group of 18 hikers, told Reuters that they had decided to retreat from their campsite because of the continuous snowfall.
“It was raining and snowing every day, and we did not see Everest at all,” he said.
Three people – two men and a woman – got hypothermia even though they were wearing adequate attire, he said.
“More than 10 of us were in the large tent and hardly slept,” he said, adding that they had to clear the snow every 10 minutes, “otherwise our tents would have collapsed”.
‘He was afraid of being buried if he fell asleep’
A woman in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, whose husband had found himself stuck in the snowstorm spoke to source.
On 27 September, her husband had set out on a 12-day trek on the eastern slope of Everest.
Just over a week later, on 5 October, she got a satellite call from him asking for help: his group was stranded in heavy snow at Oga Campsite in the Karma Valley.
The woman, who has chosen not to be named, immediately called local county police who told her that some hikers had already contacted them and that they were sending rescue teams.
“But even for rescuers, it’s not easy. They need to clear snow to make a path. Local villagers and guides have also been mobilized to assist,” she said.
“The snow started falling heavily, so we stopped moving forward and set up camp. But the snow kept piling up during the night, and we were afraid it might collapse our tent, so we had to keep shaking it off,” she recounts her husband telling her.
“He barely slept that night,” his wife said. “He was afraid of being buried if he fell into a deep sleep.”
The next day, his group decided to retreat to Cuoxuerenma camp, which is also in the Valley.
But the snow was so deep that they had to rely on yaks to clear the path, fearing hidden gaps in the snow could trap them. Fortunately, the team was made up of 16 people, including three guides and three yak handlers who could carry their 20 kg loads and clear the route.
She said her husband had paid over 10,000 Chinese yuan ($1,400; £1,000) for the trek. Her husband’s team are now expected to arrive in Cuoxuerenma later this afternoon.
“I hope [his] team reaches them safely,” she said.
Karma Valley is a lesser-known trail to Everest base
The Karma Valley in Tibet was described by an Everest explorer as one of the most beautiful valleys in the world.
It’s one of the lesser-known trails to the base of Everest and usually requires at least a medium to high level of mountaineering experience and fitness, according to hiking guidebooks which also boast of its beauty and of its view of the eastern slopes of the highest mountain in the world.
There is another popular “trail” on the Tibetan side of the mountain which has views of the northern side of the mountain.
This route has a road which allows vehicles access to a designated tourist camp near Rongbuk Monastery.
Both routes require permits and guides and are usually heavily regulated.
This is hiking season in Tibet and it is also a major eight-day holiday across China, so the trails will have been full of visitors.
Earlier we heard from hiking enthusiast Geshuang Chen, who entered the Himalayan hiking trail on Saturday, but was forced to retreat amid a blizzard.
How dangerous is Mount Everest?
Mount Everest is one of the crown jewels for climbers – but with the achievement of reaching the world’s highest peak come risks.
Records suggest there have been more than 280 deaths on the mountain.
Most of these deaths are from avalanches or falls. Acute mountain sickness, with symptoms of dizziness, vomiting and headaches, has also caused deaths.
As a reminder, the hikers affected by snowstorm over the weekend were stranded on the Tibetan slopes leading to Mount Everest.
‘When we woke up, the snow was a metre deep’ says hiker
Geshuang Chen, a 29-year-old outdoor enthusiast, had set off from Qudang Township on 4 October, with plans to reach Cho Oyu Base Camp – a trek that offers views of the Himalayan peaks five days later.
The initial plan was to leave the mountains on 11 October.
But all this changed when a severe blizzard hit.
When Chen checked the weather forecast, it was expected to snow on 4 October but clear up by 5 October and be sunny the next day.
So her group of more than 10 people decided to stay as they had planned.
However, overnight, the storm worsened – bringing thunder, strong winds, and relentless snow.
Their guide helped shake snow off the tents and dig around them to prevent collapse.
“When we woke up the next morning, the snow was already about a metre deep,” Chen recalled, adding that her group then decided to turn back.
The group spent nearly six hours trekking back on 5 October, as the path had been buried under deep snow.
On the way down, they met local Tibetan villagers carrying supplies uphill for rescue efforts. Villagers told her that hundreds of locals had joined the search and rescue operation.
“Many people come here to hike during the Golden Week, but this year’s snow was exceptional,” she said. Their guide also said such weather on the eastern slope of Everest was highly unusual, she added.
She is now on her way back to Lhasa city.
“All of us are experienced hikers,” Chen said. “But this blizzard was still extremely difficult to deal with. I was so lucky to get out.”
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Even at the best of times, it can be very difficult to get accurate information out of the Tibetan Autonomous Region (TAR).
No foreigners can enter there without special permission and journalists are only granted access to join official government organised tours which are also rare.
So when reporters try to contact people inside the TAR they are routinely blocked. People simply hang up on you or will refuse to answer even basic questions.
During a crisis of any type, like a rescue emergency, such control is tightened even further.
The Chinese government would prefer that the information flow is controlled by the Party via its own organs.
There have been reports though from China’s state-controlled media on the October holiday of dangerous weather in this part of the Himalayas and the subsequent rescue efforts.
According to these reports all trekkers have now been either brought into town or accounted for and apparently, over the coming hours, hiking groups will come down from the mountain in stages.
Area hit by snowstorm is a popular hiking spot
Local authorities have invested in tourist development in the Mount Everest Scenic Area, a popular spot for hikers.
This includes Everest Base Camp, an observation deck and a monastery, along with several valleys and other peaks.
These efforts have paid off: in 2024, the Mount Everest Scenic Area received a record 540,200 visitors, according to state media.
These visitors are typically not aiming to reach the summit of the world’s tallest peak, however. In 2024, nearly 1,000 people reached the top of Everest – the vast majority from the Nepal side of the mountain.
In pictures: Rescue operation under way
Chinese state-run broadcaster CCTV has released a couple of photos showing the rescue operation under way.
‘The weather this year is not normal’
October marks one of the year’s peak hiking seasons for Everest and its surrounding areas, when the temperature is known to be forgiving and skies are clear.
But this year, hikers and guides were caught off guard by a snowstorm that started on Friday evening and intensified on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in TIbet.
“It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” a hiker who was evacuated to Qudang township told Reuters.
“The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly.”
Hundreds evacuated from Everest after snowstorm
Unusually heavy snow and rain in the Himalayas trapped hundreds of people in campsites on the Tibetan slopes near Mount Everest.
Around 350 hikers have been evacuated to safety in a local township, while more than 200 people remaining have been contacted, according to Chinese state media.
This comes amid days of extreme weather in the region. In neighbouring Nepal, at least 47 people have died since Friday after heavy rains triggered landslides and floods.
Everest is the world’s highest peak at over 8,849m. Although many people attempt to climb the summit every year, it is considered an incredibly dangerous hike.
Stick with us as we bring you the latest on the rescue efforts.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
