Those rescued included mountain guides, yak herders and trekkers, who became trapped in a heavy snowstorm that began on Friday.Published On 8 Oct 20258 Oct 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareHundreds of hikers, local guides and yak herders have now reached safety after becoming stranded in freezing temperatures by a heavy snowstorm over the weekend on the east face of Mount Everest in Tibet, authorities said.The evacuation of the last 200 or so hikers from the isolated Karma Valley on Tuesday came after about 350 trekkers were guided to safety on Sunday, marking one of the largest ever search-and-rescue operations in the region.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of listChina’s official Xinhua news agency said that a total of 580 hikers and more than 300 local mountain guides and yak herders had arrived safely in Qudeng township and nearby areas of Dingri county in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China.Rescue teams carrying food, medicine, oxygen supplies and materials to provide warmth had guided the almost 900 stranded trekkers and guides out of Karma Valley, which lies at an average altitude of 4,200 metres (13,800 feet) at the base of Mount Everest, after a powerful blizzard dumped heavy snowfall in the region on Friday and Saturday.Xinhua said all the trekkers had reached safety and local government officials were now organising the return to their homes in “an orderly manner”.The Reuters news agency said that outdoor enthusiasts had flocked to China’s rugged interior since an eight-day holiday began on October 1.Chinese social media users have been scathing of the mass stranding on the mountain, many taking to WeChat and Douyin – the Chinese TikTok – to criticise what they see as a frivolous pastime by the wealthy in a potentially dangerous area. Villagers with oxen and horses ascend the mountain during rescue efforts to reach hundreds of hikers trapped by heavy snow at tourist campsites on a slope of Mount Everest in Tibet on Sunday [Handout/Lingsuiye via AP]One user on WeChat asked if the stranded trekkers would be charged for the cost of the huge search-and-rescue operation. Advertisement “Even when …
