Nearly 1,000 Stranded Hikers Rescued Near Mount Everest

Beijing, (AFP) Oct 8 – Nearly 1,000 hikers and support personnel stranded by heavy snowfall over the weekend on the Tibetan Plateau near Mount Everest have been safely rescued, Chinese state media reported.

Tourism in the high-altitude region has surged in recent years, drawing outdoor enthusiasts to its trekking routes during this year’s eight-day national holiday. However, an intense blizzard buried camps and disrupted travel, prompting a large-scale rescue operation involving firefighters, horses, yaks, and drones.

According to Xinhua, a total of 580 hikers and over 300 support personnel, including local guides and yak herders, have returned safely to a nearby township. Rescue teams also brought about a dozen additional hikers to a meeting point with supplies. Local authorities are now organizing their return journeys in an orderly manner.

While the rescue operation has concluded, the extreme weather caused further casualties and damage. In China’s Qinghai province, one hiker died from hypothermia and altitude sickness. Meanwhile, heavy rains in neighboring Nepal and India have triggered landslides and floods, killing more than 70 people and cutting off remote mountain communities, where rescue efforts are ongoing.

The incident underscores the risks posed by extreme weather in high-altitude regions during peak tourist periods.