Hundreds of hikers are still trapped more than 4,900 metres up the slope of Mount Everest after a sudden blizzard hit the mountain’s face.
Unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummelled the Himalayas over the weekend, burying camps and stranding nearly 1,000 people on the mountain.
Local villagers and rescue teams had led 350 trekkers down to the nearby township of Qudang as of Sunday local time, according to Chinese state media.
At least one hiker has died and more than 200 are still waiting for rescue workers.
Chen Geshuang was part of an 18-strong trekking team when the extreme weather hit.
“The weather this year is not normal,” she told Reuters.
"The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly."
Hikers fear 'being buried' as snowfall hits Karma Valley
The initial weather forecast, according to Ms Geshuang, had the predicted snow clearing up by Saturday morning.
China’s Golden Week, an eight-day holiday period, kicked off on October 1.
Tourism boomed, with travellers flocking to Tibet’s Karma Valley, which leads to the Easter Kangshung face of Everest.
October is one of the mountain’s peak seasons, with skies typically clear following the Indian monsoon.
[everest map] On Friday evening, local time, the snowstorm began in the valley, which lies at an elevation averaging 4,200 metres.
It continued throughout the next day.
On Saturday, local authorities suspended access and cancelled permits in the area.
One woman told the BBC her husband had called her via satellite phone that day, asking for help — his group was stranded at their campsite in the valley.
They had stopped moving forward when the snow hit, but it kept "piling up during the night", leaving them afraid it would collapse their tents.
"He barely slept that night," his wife, who asked not to be named," said.
"He was afraid of being buried if he fell into a deep sleep."
One hiker, nicknamed FeiFei, told AFP the snow had buried their camp.
"We had to constantly clear the snow from the tents, but I collapsed from exhaustion … and my tent got buried," she said.
She finally found refuge in another tent.
The walk back took two days, with firefighters using "yaks and horses" to clear the snow, she said.
Along the way, she saw dozens of hikers weakened by hunger or the altitude, but none in critical condition.
Hundreds evacuated as rescuers use horses, yaks to clear snow
In the mountains of neighbouring Qinghai province, a hiker died from hypothermia and altitude sickness, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday
Another 137 hikers were evacuated from the same area.
One hiker who rushed to descend Everest before snow blocked the way told online news outlet Jimu News the snow was a metre deep and had crushed tents.
[hourly temperature] Rescuers and local residents set out to help remove the snow blocking access to campsites.
Yaks and horses were being used to clear a path.
Video shared by emergency services in Tibet showed rescuers working through the night to bring hikers to safety.
In one, hikers were carried on the backs of emergency service workers.
Dong Shuchang, a 27-year-old nature photographer, told the BBC he had spent the night with fellow hikers in a Qudang hotel room.
"We're just so relieved to get help and support," he said.
"A lot of people descended with us. But everyone was moving slowly.
"The route was very slippery. I kept falling because of the ice."
As he made his way down, he said, he passed more rescuers going up the trail to evacuate those stranded deeper in the mountains.
Tibet media released a video showing trekkers being welcomed with hot soup in a communal hall, before boarding busses that took them away from the area
An expensive climbing permit and the '2pm Rule'
Climbing Mount Everest can cost anywhere from $50,740 to $196,367, according to online expedition site ExpedReview.
Nepal increased the cost of its permit fees for the first time in a decade in September.
A single permit during peak season now comes with a price tag of $US15,000 ($22,658).
[neighbouring mountains] It followed years of overcrowding, concerns about the environmental impact of climbers and multiple deaths.
More than 340 people have died on Mount Everest since 1922, according to the Himalayan Database.
More than 200 bodies remain on the mountain, left because of the risk and cost associated with removing them.
Under one crucial safety rule, climbers have until 2pm to reach the summit — if they fail to make it to the top by that time, they must turn around and go home.
The "2pm rule" keeps climbers from being caught at high altitudes after dark, when the temperature and visibility drop.
[deaths table] The high price point and risk factor haven’t been enough to deter visitors.
The trek to Base Camp attracts about 35,000 visitors every year, according to Sagarmatha National Park data.
The sheer number of visitors has also sparked concerns about the treatment of Sherpas, the local guides who often carry their clients' equipment as they lead them through the treacherous terrain.
Rescue effort ongoing in stages as weather clears
There have been few official updates about the rescue attempt since Monday local time.
Online forecasts predict mostly dry weather with clear skies over the coming days.
It was unclear whether trekkers on the north face were also affected by the extreme weather.
The remaining hikers, according to CCTV, will be brought down by rescuers in stages.
Searches are ongoing for other hikers in the region, CCTV said in its report. It did not specify how many people were missing.
ABC/AFP/AP/Reuters
