Blizzard on Tibetan Everest Traps Hundreds, Kills Hiker

An unseasonable blizzard struck the Tibetan slopes and eastern face of Mount Everest during China’s Golden Week, dumping heavy snow at about 4,900–5,800 metres and trapping hundreds of trekkers at high‑altitude camps. Chinese state media and eyewitnesses say about 350 people have been guided to safety—many to the township of Qudang—while rescuers remain in contact with roughly 200 more, though some reports initially put the number affected as high as about 1,000. Authorities mobilized a large rescue operation involving local villagers, hundreds of rescue personnel, the People’s Armed Police, firefighters, drones, yaks and horses, and bulldozers; attempted helicopter sorties were hampered by strong winds and poor visibility. At least one hiker died of hypothermia and acute altitude sickness in Qinghai, and dozens more have been treated for frostbite or altitude illness. Survivors described tents crushed or buried by deep snow, and officials warned another cold front could soon arrive as the storm is linked to wider extreme Himalayan weather that has caused deadly landslides and floods in the region.