Large-scale rescue operations are underway on the remote eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet, as a blizzard has trapped nearly 1,000 climbers. Chinese state media reports that hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams have been deployed to clear the snow blocking access to the area, which is located at an altitude above 16,000 feet.
Some of the tourists have already been rescued. The heavy snowfall began Friday evening, according to the BBC, and intensified on the eastern slopes of Everest in Tibet, a region popular with climbers and hikers. Tibet’s Blue Sky Rescue team received calls for help as tents had collapsed due to the snowfall. Some hikers had already suffered from hypothermia, Chinese media reports.
Meanwhile, neighboring Nepal has been hit by heavy rainfall. Landslides and floods have destroyed bridges and killed at least 47 people over the past two days.
