Massive Rescue Operation Successfully Evacuates Nearly 1,000 Stranded Trekkers from Mount Everest After Severe Blizzard

Everest Rescue: All Stranded Trekkers Evacuated Safely, Hikers Shovel Snow With Cooking Pots

Tibetan firefighters have successfully rescued all trekkers from Mount Everest after a severe blizzard left them stranded in challenging conditions.

All remaining hikers near the eastern face of Mount Everest in Tibet were safely evacuated on Tuesday, concluding one of the region's largest search-and-rescue operations in recent memory.

According to Reuters, the comprehensive evacuation included hundreds of hikers, local guides, sherpas, and yak herders who had been trapped by unexpected heavy snowfall and harsh weather conditions.

The remote Karma Valley, which provides access to Everest's eastern Kangshung face, had been hosting hundreds of visitors taking advantage of China's eight-day National Day holiday period. Unusually heavy snow and rainfall over the weekend trapped approximately 1,000 people in the Tingri region, a primary access route to the world's highest mountain.

Snow fell continuously throughout Saturday in the valley, which sits at an average altitude of 4,200 metres (13,800 ft). By Sunday, rescue teams had managed to guide about 350 hikers to safety. The remaining 200 trekkers were successfully evacuated by Tuesday, bringing the total to 580 trekkers alongside more than 300 guides, yak herders, and support personnel, as reported by Xinhua.

The blizzard also disrupted expedition plans for climbers guided by US-based Madison Mountaineering who were attempting to summit Cho Oyu, an 8,188-metre (26,864-ft) peak located on China's border with Nepal. The severe weather affected hundreds of hikers across other parts of western China as well, including Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Gansu regions. Tragically, at least one person lost their life due to hypothermia and acute mountain sickness.

In response to the emergency, authorities have temporarily closed the Everest region to the public, including Karma and Rongshar valleys, as well as access to Cho Oyu.

For 30-year-old Feng Holiday and her companions, what began as a recreational trek quickly transformed into a harrowing experience. They had departed from Youpa Village in Tibet's Shigatze prefecture on October 1 for a hiking expedition through the Karma Valley. Three days into their journey, they encountered an unusual October blizzard.

Feng described how the storm intensified, bringing heavy snow, thunder, and lightning. "By midnight, the snow was getting heavier, and my sleeping bag wasn't adequate. There was condensation dripping inside, making it damp," she told CNN.

As tents began collapsing under the weight of accumulating snow, Feng and her teammates were forced to dig themselves out using only cooking pots. "I had to go out and shovel snow, only to discover my teammates were buried too. We all had to dig together, which was extremely challenging since we had no proper tools—just our cooking pots!"

Weather reports indicated that more than three feet (95 cm) of snow fell at Mount Everest's summit on Saturday alone, nearly triple the average weekly snowfall typically expected for this time of year.

Following their "scary" night, Feng and her friends began descending the mountain on Sunday morning, abandoning their tents and heavy equipment to travel with lighter packs. By approximately 6:30 pm local time, they reached the mountain's base, where government officials and local residents were waiting to assist them.

Videos shared on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu depicted hikers frantically clearing snow from buried tents amid blinding whiteout conditions.