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Rescue of Stranded Everest Trekkers Expected to Conclude by Tuesday, Says Source
More than 200 trekkers stranded near the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet after a powerful snowstorm are expected to be rescued by Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the operation.
Since the start of China’s eight-day National Day holiday on October 1, outdoor enthusiasts have flooded into the country’s remote interior regions. However, a sudden weekend blizzard trapped hundreds of trekkers hoping to catch a glimpse of Everest’s Kangshung Face.
The evacuation, which began on Monday, should be completed by Tuesday, the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The Tibet regional government has not yet commented.
Snow began falling on Saturday in the remote Karma Valley, located at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). On Sunday, rescuers brought about 350 other trekkers to safety from the same area.
“We were lucky that a few people ahead of us were making a path and leaving footprints we could follow—it made things a bit easier,” said Eric Wen, 41. He described a grueling 19-kilometer (12-mile) trek out of the valley, much of it through deep snow.
“Otherwise, it would have been impossible for us to get out on our own,” he added.
Regional authorities helped Wen and the other members of his expedition reach Lhasa, the Tibetan capital, by Monday evening.
Discovered by Western explorers a century ago, the Karma Valley remains largely untouched. Unlike the barren northern face of Everest, the valley is lush and green, fed by glacial meltwater and covered in pristine alpine forests.
Elsewhere in western China, a climber died of hypothermia and acute mountain sickness after being caught in a snowstorm Sunday in the Qilian Mountains, which straddle the border of Qinghai and Gansu provinces.
By Monday evening, China Central Television (CCTV) reported that 213 people had been safely rescued from the Qilian region.
On Tuesday, authorities in the Altai Mountains of Xinjiang’s Kanas Lake area suspended all hiking and camping activities following worsening weather conditions.
According to CCTV, police patrolling the area on Sunday found a group of 16 climbers, one of whom was suffering from hypothermia and unable to move. The individual was taken to a hospital and is now in stable condition.
Police have since persuaded more than 300 trekkers heading toward the region to turn back. By Tuesday, broadcasters said dangerous ice and snow had been cleared from highways that had stranded tourist vehicles over the weekend.
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