Reuters
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Hundreds of trekkers left behind in a blizzard near the east side of Mount Everest in Tibet were guided safely by rescuers, Chinese state media reported that abnormally large numbers of snow and rain hit the Himalayas.
About 350 trekkers arrived in the small town of Kudan, but contact with the remaining 200 trekkers took place on Sunday. The breaking news that Monday evening did not provide updates.
Tibetan Media has released a video showing trekkers being welcomed with hot soup in the joint hall before boarding the bus to take them out of the area.
Visitors to Karma’s remote valley, which leads to the face of East Kangshan in Everest, were taking advantage of hundreds of eight-day national holidays in China this week.
“It was very wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk,” said Chen Geshuang, who was part of the 18 powerful trekking team that reached Quadang.
“The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October, and it happened all of a sudden.”
Chen’s party came down from the mountains on Sunday and endured a harsh snowy evening combining thunder and lightning before being greeted by the villagers with sweet tea.
Previous reports from the state-backed Jimu News found that hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams were deployed to help remove snow block access to areas where around 1,000 people were trapped.
The remaining trekkers will arrive in Quadang in stages with the assistance of rescuers organized by the local government, CCTV reported.
The CCTV report did not say whether local guides and support staff at the trekking party were considered.
Snowfall in the valley, which averages 4,200 meters (13,800 feet) altitude, began on Friday evening and lasted throughout Saturday.
“It was raining and snowing every day, so I didn’t see Everest at all,” said Eric Wen, who survived the ordeal.
His 18-year-old trekking party decided to return on Saturday night from his fifth final campsite, which is linked to continued snowfall.
“We just had few tents. Over 10 of us were in the big tents and we barely slept,” Wen told Reuters on Monday.
Wen said his group must clean the snow every 10 minutes.
“Otherwise, our tent would have collapsed,” he said.
Wen said that two men and one woman in the group suffered from hypothermia when the temperature slipped under freezing, even if they were fully submissive.
However, his expeditionary party appeared almost unharmed, including eight other expedition guides and several others whose yaks tend to transport equipment and kits.
First explored by Western tourists a century ago, the Karma Valley is a relatively untouched part of the Everest region. Unlike the arid north face of the peak, it boasts lush vegetation and untouched alpine forests, fed by meltwater from the Canchamp Glacier at the foot of the world’s finest mountains.
It was unclear whether trekkers near the North Face, attracting numerous tourists due to their easy access on paved roads, were affected.
October is the peak season, and the sky is usually cleared at the end of the Indian monsoon.
In the south of Tibet, Nepal, heavy rain blocked roads, washed away bridges, causing landslides and flash floods that killed at least 50 people since Friday.
Thirty-seven people have been killed in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district, adjacent to India.
A South Korean trekker died in Nepal and his body was recovered by rescue helicopter on Monday, said Tarshi Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association. His guide was rescued.
The hiker, who has not been given a name, climbed Mera Peak, 6,476 meters (21,246 feet) on Saturday.
