Blizzard strands hundreds on Mount Everest
The snowstorm struck the eastern slope of Everest on the Tibetan side of the mountain Friday evening. The blizzard came as China was celebrating its weeklong holiday to celebrate the country's founding.
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Hikers were stranded on Mount Everest after a sudden snowstorm struck, leaving only 350 people accounted for as of Monday. (File Photo/Narendra Shrestha EPA-EFE)
Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Hundreds of hikers have been rescued after being trapped on Mount Everest following an unusually strong snowstorm over the weekend.
The snowstorm struck the eastern slope of Everest on the Tibetan side of the mountain Friday evening. The blizzard came as China was celebrating its weeklong holiday to celebrate the country's founding.
More than 350 people had been rescued as of Monday and were in Qudang, a community near the Karma Valley, reported The Telegraph, citing state media. The hikers' route through the valley is at 16,000 feet, making their rescue particularly challenging, according to the news outlet.
"It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk," Chen Geshuang said, according to the Telegraph. "The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly."
Dong Shuchang told the BBC that she and other hikers huddled in a chilly hotel in Qudang where there was neither electricity nor running water.
"A lot of people descended with us," he said. "But everyone was moving slowly. The route was very slippery. I kept falling because of the ice."
Another 200 hikers were still being rescued and staff at local tourism agencies told The New York Times they were unsure of their status.
China's Everest Scenic Area saw a record 540,000 visitors last year, according to state media.
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