Mt Everest rescue underway after blizzard traps trekkers in Tibet

Rescue efforts were underway on Sunday in the remote Tibetan slopes of Mount Everest where a blizzard has trapped nearly 1,000 people in campsites on the eastern side of the world's tallest mountain.  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 4,900 metres. Some tourists have already been rescued, according to local media reports. 
Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams had been deployed to trekkers stranded near the eastern face of the world's highest peak, Chinese state media reported on Sunday, local time, as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummelled the Himalayas. As of Sunday, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the an additional 200-plus trekkers had been made, CCTV reported. Visitors to the remote valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Mount Everest, were in the hundreds this week, taking advantage of an eight-day National Day holiday in China. "It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk," said Chen Geshuang, who was part of an 18-strong trekking team that made it to Qudang.

Almost 1,000 trapped on Tibetan side of Mount Everest by blizzard

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 4,900 metres. pic.twitter.com/eaBhWtP2CI

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The north face of Mount Everest, due to its easy access by paved road, regularly draws large numbers of tourists. October is a peak season, when skies usually clear at the end of the Indian monsoon. Ticket sales and entry to the entire Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of the local Tingri County Tourism Company.
To the south of Tibet in Nepal, heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that blocked roads, washed away bridges and have killed at least 47 people since Friday. Thirty-five people died in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district bordering India. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters, and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country.