Blizzard Traps Nearly 1,000 on Everest Tibetan Side, Rescue Underway

Rescue teams and local villagers raced on Sunday to clear snow and reopen access to campsites on the eastern, Tibetan slope of Mount Everest after a blizzard left nearly 1,000 people stranded, state media reported. The snowfall began on Friday evening and continued through Saturday, blocking roads and passageways to campsites above 4,900 metres 16,000 feet and prompting authorities to suspend entry to the Everest Scenic Area late on Saturday, local officials said.

Hundreds of people from nearby villages and organized rescue units were deployed to shovel snow and clear routes to the trapped groups, state reports said. Some tourists and climbers have already been brought down from the mountain, and teams were focused on reaching other encampments by clearing roads and creating safe passage. The high altitude and continued snow accumulation have complicated operations, officials said.

Notices posted by the Tingri County Tourism Company on official social accounts confirmed that ticket sales and access to the scenic area were suspended as conditions deteriorated. Social media posts from the region indicated that some tents had collapsed under heavy snow and that a number of climbers...