Almost 1,000 climbers stranded on Tibetan side of Mt Everest after blizzard, search & rescue ops underway

Locals have joined rescue teams to clear out snow blocking access to the area, which sits at an altitude of more than 4,900 metres.

A screen capture from video shows trekkers leaving their campsite, as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummeled the Himalayas, in the Tibet Region on 5 October 2025. | Geshuang Chen | Handout via Reuters

Beijing: 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, BBC reported, quoting local media.  Heavy snowfall began on Friday evening and has intensified on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet, which is an area popular with climbers and hikers.

Neighbouring Nepal too has been battered by heavy rains which triggered landslides and flash floods resulting in the death of 52 people.

Mt Everest, called Mt Qomolangma in China, is the world’s highest peak at over 8,849 metres.

Meanwhile, Typhoon Matmo, the 21st named storm of the 2025 Pacific typhoon season, made landfall along the eastern coast of Xuwen County, Zhanjiang City in south China’s Guangdong Province on Sunday.

The local governments evacuated about  347,000 people from the southern provinces of Guangdong and Hainan ahead of the approaching typhoon which had maximum speeds of 151 kmph. PTI KJV GRS GRS GRS

This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.