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A powerful snowstorm battering the eastern slopes of Mount Everest has left approximately 1,000 people stranded at high-altitude camps, Chinese authorities reported.
Officials said rescue operations are underway to clear massive snow accumulations blocking access to camps situated at elevations exceeding several thousand meters on the world's tallest peak. The storm has created dangerous conditions for climbers, trekkers and support staff caught in the remote mountain region.
Hundreds of villagers and rescue teams have been mobilized on the Chinese side of Everest, which sits within China's Tibet Autonomous Region, according to local authorities. Some tourists have already been successfully evacuated from the affected areas.
China's Blue Sky Rescue team received distress calls reporting that tents had collapsed under heavy snow loads and that some climbers were suffering from hypothermia, highlighting the severity of conditions on the mountain.
The emergency comes as China braces for additional weather-related disasters. Authorities have issued alerts for potential flooding and other catastrophic events as Typhoon Matmo approaches the country's southern and southwestern regions.
The extreme weather has also impacted neighboring areas across the Himalayas. In Nepal, severe rainfall has triggered deadly floods, landslides and lightning strikes that have killed at least 39 people, underscoring the broader meteorological crisis affecting South Asia.
Mount Everest, which straddles the border between China and Nepal, regularly experiences harsh weather conditions, but the current storm system appears to have caught many climbers and support teams off guard during what is typically considered a climbing season.
Rescue efforts continue as authorities work to reach those still trapped in the high-altitude camps before conditions worsen further.
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