INTERNATIONAL: Blizzard Traps 1,000 Climbers on Mount Everest
A ferocious snowstorm has gripped Mount Everest’s Tibetan flank, stranding nearly 1,000 adventurers in subzero isolation high above sea level.
What began as heavy flurries Friday evening escalated into a full blizzard by Sunday, burying campsites under relentless whiteout conditions and sparking a high-stakes evacuation.
As teams battle avalanches and biting winds, the incident spotlights the razor-thin margins of high-altitude pursuits during China’s holiday surge.
Storm Strikes the North Face
On the eastern slopes in Tibet, the weather flipped from crisp autumn chill to chaotic fury, catching climbers off guard mid-ascent.
Fixed ropes vanished under fresh powder, and visibility plunged to mere feet, forcing groups to hunker down at advance base camps around 6,000 meters.
Authorities halted all new permits. Saturday, a move echoed in past October squalls when gusts routinely topped 100 km/h.
This season’s post-monsoon window, popular for its clearer skies, drew record crowds thanks to China’s National Day break, amplifying the bottleneck.
Rescuers, blending seasoned Sherpas with state units, have airlifted supplies and guided 350 souls to the modest outpost of Qudong, a cluster of sturdy lodges at a lower elevation.
Yet hundreds remain pinned, their satellite phones crackling with pleas amid dwindling oxygen and fuel.
Avalanches Seal the Summit Path
Cascading slabs of ice and rock have choked key trails, turning routine descents into survival gauntlets.
Local herders and porters, versed in these unforgiving terrains, lead the charge with ice axes and ropes, clearing debris one grueling shift at a time.
Early reports flag hypothermia cases among the exposed, where core temperatures dip perilously low without shelter.
Medical tents in Qudong buzz with treatment, underscoring how even brief exposure at these heights can turn fatal.
The push reflects a coordinated grit: helicopters on standby for whiteouts and ground crews probing crevasses, all while forecasters eye a potential lull midweek.
Echoes in the Neighboring Shadows
Just across the border, Nepal grapples with its own watery wrath, where days of pounding rains have unleashed floods and slides claiming 52 lives.
Eastern districts like Koshi Province saw homes vanish in mud torrents, roads crumble, and bridges snap under swollen currents.
This dual crisis in the Himalayas lays bare seasonal vulnerabilities, from thawed permafrost to saturated soils, urging climbers and communities alike to recalibrate risks in an era of erratic monsoons.
As dawn breaks over Everest’s shrouded ridges, the trapped hold their breath for the next chopper thrum.