October 7, 2025
Efforts to rescue more than 200 trekkers stranded near Mount Everest's eastern face in Tibet are expected to conclude by Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the situation. This follows severe snowstorms that have affected western China.
The blizzard, which began over the weekend, caught many hikers by surprise as they attempted to view Everest's Kangshung face during an eight-day holiday starting October 1. Since Sunday, approximately 350 hikers have been safely evacuated.
The evacuation process, which started on Monday, is anticipated to finish by Tuesday. The source, who requested anonymity due to lack of authorization to speak to the media, provided this information. The regional government of Tibet has not yet commented.
Snowfall continued through Saturday in the Karma valley, located at an average altitude of 4,200 meters (13,800 feet). On Sunday, rescuers successfully guided around 350 hikers to safety from this remote area.
Eric Wen, a 41-year-old trekker, described the challenging conditions, stating, "Thankfully, some people ahead of us were breaking trail, leaving footprints we could follow - that made it a little easier." He recounted walking 19 kilometers (12 miles) through heavy snow to exit the valley.
Regional authorities assisted Wen and his group in reaching Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, by Monday. The Karma valley, first explored by Western travelers a century ago, remains relatively untouched, featuring lush vegetation and alpine forests nourished by glacier melt.
In a separate incident north of Tibet, a trekker succumbed to hypothermia and acute mountain sickness after being stranded by snowstorms in the Qilian Mountains on Sunday. By Monday evening, 213 individuals in the Qilian area were rescued, as reported by China Central Television (CCTV).
Further west in Xinjiang, authorities have suspended hiking and camping in the Kanas lake district of the Altai mountains. On Sunday, police encountered a group of 16 hikers, one of whom was hospitalized with hypothermia symptoms and is now stable. Police have persuaded over 300 hikers to turn back from the area.
CCTV reported on Tuesday that highways, previously covered in ice and snow, have been cleared, allowing stranded tourist vehicles to move again.
