(TibetanReview.net, Oct06’25) – Nearly 1,000 people have been trapped by a blizzard at campsites on Tibet’s eastern slopes of Mount Everest, blocking roads, following snowfall that began on Oct 3 evening and continued throughout the following day, according to China’s state media and other reports. Around 350 people were guided to safety, with rescuers in contact with 200 others, who were expected to be safely returned, reported scmp.com Oct 6, citing the official People’s Daily.
The blizzard also engulfed Qinghai province where one hiker died from hypothermia and altitude sickness on Oct 3 in the Laohugou area of Haibei (Tibetan: Tsojang) prefecture, reported the scmp.com Oct 6. As of Oct 6 morning, 137 hikers had been safely evacuated from the area – known for its complex terrain and unpredictable weather – after Haibei prefecture deployed more than 300 rescuers and two drones to search the area, the report added.
The report cited local police as saying continuous snowfall made search and rescue operations in the Laohugou area, which has an average altitude of over 4,000 metres (13,000 feet), very challenging. The area is located in the Qilan Mountains (Tibetan: Dola Ringmo), well-known for its glaciers.
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Meanwhile on the Mount Everest slopes, officials from Dingri County in Shigatse City, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), have said hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams had been mobilised to clear snow blocking access to the walkers who were stranded at an altitude of more than 4,900m (16,000ft).
While about 350 stranded trekkers have been escorted to safety in Qudang township, rescue workers were continuing to search for the remaining people still stuck in the affected area, reported bbc.com and Reuters Oct 6.
Hundreds were still trapped, awaiting rescue, said the Reuters report.
October is peak time for those who make the trek to Mount Everest from the Tibetan side.
TAR is increasingly popular with more affluent and adventurous Chinese tourists, with people flocking to the Tibetan valley leading to Mount Everest’s eastern face over the weekend at the start of the eight-day “golden week” national holiday, the report noted.
On the south side of Tibet, in Nepal, heavy rain caused damaging flooding, killing at least 47 people over the weekend, mainly in Koshi province, Reuters reported.
In India, too, 20 deaths have so far been reported in Darjeeling, a popular hill station in the state of West Bengal, said hindustantimes.com Oct 6.