Stranded Mount Everest hikers being evacuated

More than 200 people left stranded by a blizzard near the eastern face of Mount Everest are being evacuated, Reuters news agency reports.

It comes after some 350 trekkers were guided to safety during an initial rescue operation, which was launched after unusually heavy snowfall and rain struck the Himalayas on Friday and Saturday.

A source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters the evacuation should be completed on Tuesday, though the Tibetan regional government did not have an immediate comment.

Those rescued so far have been escorted to the small town of Qudang, which is about 30 miles from base camp on Everest’s Tibetan side.

October is a popular time for hikers attempting to climb Everest – the highest mountain on Earth.

Skies are usually clear following the end of the Indian monsoon season, making the weekend’s rainfall unusual.

Chen Geshuang, who was part of an 18-strong team that safely got to Qudang, said: “It was so wet and cold in the mountains, and hypothermia was a real risk.

“The weather this year is not normal. The guide said he had never encountered such weather in October. And it happened all too suddenly.”

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Eric Wen, another trekker who survived the ordeal, said: “It was raining and snowing every day, and we did not see Everest at all.”

Recent days have been particularly busy around the Karma valley leading to Everest’s eastern face, Kangshung, spurred by a national holiday in China.

The valley is a relatively pristine part of the region, boasting lush vegetation and untouched alpine forests.