This past weekend, a severe and unseasonal snowstorm struck on the eastern side of Mount Everest in Tibet, trapping hundreds of tourists and workers.
The snowstorm struck during a national weeklong Chinese holiday, called Golden Week, lasting from the first to the seventh of October. The holiday was first implemented to celebrate the start of the People’s Republic of China on Oct. 1, 1949. Many citizens take this opportunity to visit family or travel abroad.
When the snowstorm hit, roughly 900 people were stranded, including trekkers, hikers, local guides, trek herders and other members of the community. 350 hikers successfully reached the meeting point at the town, Tingri. However, rescuers are in contact with another 200.
According to npr.org, Mount Everest has an elevation of around 8,850 meters, and most of the people stranded were at an elevation of more than 4,900 meters, with temperatures ranging from negative nine degrees Celsius to negative eleven degrees Celsius.
By Sunday, Oct. 5, hundreds of rescuers were headed to the mountain in order to clear paths and bring people back to safety. With them, they brought food, medicine, heating and oxygen supplies.
Many of the people stranded experienced intense hypothermia and altitude sickness. However, there were no casualties on the mountain since everyone was rescued on Tuesday, Oct. 7.
The storm hit other areas in western China, leaving motorists stranded on the frozen highway S323 near a hiking spot, with only one casualty.
Later on, China’s Xinjiang regional authority shut down the area around Kanas Lake. However, on Monday, Oct. 6, the highway had been declared cleared.
Furthermore, in a valley in the Qillan Mountains and Qinghai province, there was another casualty from someone experiencing severe hypothermia and altitude sickness.
Additionally, the severe weather impacted parts of the Himalayan region and Nepal, leading to the death of a South Korean climber near the summit of Mera Peak, a Himalayan mountain south of Everest with an elevation of 6,476 meters.
However, according to BBC News, citizens of Nepal experienced a lot more casualties. The region closer to the mountains experienced heavy rainfall, ultimately leading to flooding. As of Friday, 47 citizens from Nepal have died.
As of Oct. 10, the Mountain Everest region in China’s Tibet has been temporarily closed. With a total of two casualties in China and 47 in Nepal.
