Snowstorm hits Mt Everest, hundreds stranded

More than 200 hikers stranded by a blizzard on the Tibetan slopes of Mount Everest remain to be rescued, as Chinese state media say authorities have been able contact all of them.

Some 350 others have been led to safety by rescuers, BBC reports citing other media.

Heavy snow trapped hundreds of tourists trekking in the Tibetan valley leading to Mount Everest's eastern face over the weekend, at the start of an eight-day national holiday in China.

Snowfall in the valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern face of Everest, began on Friday evening and continued through Saturday - leaving hundreds of hikers stranded.

Local media initially said around 1,000 hikers were stranded. On Monday, Chinese state media reported that 350 people were evacuated while around 200 remaining have been contacted.

Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to clear out snow blocking access to the area, which sits at an altitude of more than 4,900m (16,000ft).

Geshuang Chen, a 29-year-old outdoor enthusiast, had set off from Qudang Township on 4 October, with plans to reach Cho Oyu Base Camp - a trek that offers views of the Himalayan peaks five days later.

The initial plan was to leave the mountains on 11 October.

But all this changed when a severe blizzard hit.

When Chen checked the weather forecast, it was expected to snow on 4 October but clear up by 5 October and be sunny the next day.

So her group of more than 10 people decided to stay as they had planned.

However, overnight, the storm worsened - bringing thunder, strong winds, and relentless snow.

Their guide helped shake snow off the tents and dig around them to prevent collapse.

"When we woke up the next morning, the snow was already about a metre deep,” Chen recalled, adding that her group then decided to turn back.

The group spent nearly six hours trekking back on 5 October, as the path had been buried under deep snow.

October marks one of the year's peak hiking seasons for Everest and its surrounding areas, when the temperature is known to be forgiving and skies are clear.

But this year, hikers and guides were caught off guard by a snowstorm that started on Friday evening and intensified on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in TIbet.

"It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk," a hiker who was evacuated to Qudang township told Reuters.

"The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly."