Beijing, October 9: Around 900 hikers, guides and support staff stranded by a powerful snowstorm on the Chinese side of Mount Everest have been brought to safety, state media reported late on Tuesday.
The storm struck the Everest scenic area on Saturday night, cutting off access to campsites located at an altitude of more than 4,900 metres. About 580 hikers and over 300 guides, yak herders and workers were trapped when the storm hit, according to local government officials cited by state broadcaster CCTV.
Roughly 350 hikers managed to descend by noon on Monday, while the remaining groups were rescued by Tuesday, the report said. Several of those rescued were treated for hypothermia, while about a dozen were assisted by rescue teams that provided food, medicine, heating and oxygen supplies, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
Authorities have temporarily closed the Mount Everest scenic area following the incident. The storm occurred during China’s weeklong National Day holiday, which ends on Wednesday. In neighbouring Nepal, a South Korean climber died in a separate weekend storm near the summit of Mera Peak, a 6,476-metre mountain south of Everest, according to local officials.
