WHILE IN TIBET, I WENT TO THE BASE CAMP OF EVEREST ... THAT WAS 24 YEARS AGO

Hundreds of people are stranded on Mount Everest after massive snowstorm as rescuers race to save hikers

 

By Matt Strudwick  

 

Daily Mail

Oct 5, 2025

 

 

A massive snowstorm has left nearly 1,000 people trapped on Mount Everest (pictured) as rescuers race to save the hikers

 

A massive snowstorm has left hundreds of people trapped on Mount Everest as rescuers race to save the hikers. 

People's tents are said to have been crushed, with some climbers suffering from hypothermia due to the freezing conditions. 

Local villagers and rescue teams have been shoveling snow to clear blocked roads to reach the campsites, which are 16,000ft above ground. 

According to Chinese state media, Jimu News, 350 trekkers had been brought down to safety and had reached the small township of Qudang.

It was reported that contact had been made with the remaining 200-plus.

The major rescue operation began earlier today on Tibet's eastern slope of Mount Everest.

Snow had started falling heavily on Friday evening and continued throughout Saturday.  

The hellish weather forced ticket sales and entry to the Everest Scenic Area to be suspended from late Saturday, according to the local Tingri County Tourism Company.

'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 who made it to Qudang.

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

 

Yellow and orange tents at Everest Base Camp, pitched on the edges of the Khumbu icefall in Nepal. 

 

A line of climbers are pictured ascending Mount Everest

 

The remaining trekkers will arrive in Qudang in stages under the guidance and assistance of rescuers organised by the local government. 

Chen's party descended from the mountains on Sunday and was greeted by villagers after enduring a harrowing evening of heavy snowfall combined with thunder and lightning. 

With tears in her eyes, Chen accepted their offers of sweet tea and the promise of warmth, she said.

'Back in the village, we had a meal and were finally warm.'

One witness is reported as saying: 'Many people's tents have been crushed, the camp has more than a metre of snow, and all the passageways down the mountain have been blocked.' 

Visitors to the remote valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Everest, were in the hundreds this week, taking advantage of an eight-day National Day holiday in China. 

Meanwhile, across the border in Nepal today, landslides, a lightning strike, and flooding triggered by severe rainfall killed at least 44 people.

Those killed included at least 37 people in the eastern mountain district of Illam, where whole villages were swept away by landslides, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said. Several other people are still missing.

Heavy rainfall was reported since Friday in the district, which borders India and is known for growing tea.

Six people in the same family were killed when a landslide crushed their home while they slept, Illam's assistant administrative officer Bholanath Guragai said.

Rainfall was hampering efforts to reach the villages and many roads were swept away or blocked by the landslides.

The government said helicopters were also evacuating people needing medical evacuations and ground troops were helping move people to safer areas.

One more person was killed in landslide in a neighboring district.

Nepal's government issued a severe rainfall warning in the eastern and central parts of the country from Saturday to Monday, while shutting down major highways. 

All domestic flights were grounded on Saturday by aviation authorities because of heavy rainfall and poor visibility but were reopened on Sunday.

The major highways connecting the capital, Kathmandu, with other areas were closed by the authorities as some parts were blocked by landslides and others were shut as a precautionary measure.

By Sunday evening, one route was partially opened for traffic. 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said on social platform X that the loss of lives and damage caused by heavy rains in Nepal are distressing.

'We stand with the people and Government of Nepal in this difficult time,' he said. 'As a friendly neighbor and first responder, India remains committed to providing any assistance that may be required.'