There are fears of fatalities among a huge group of hikers stranded in a fierce blizzard on Mount Everest.
A massive rescue operation has been launched with local villagers digging through heavy snow in an effort to free the hikers trapped at 5,000 feet above sea level.
Adventure-seeking tourists’ tents had been crushed by heavy snowfall with others left in critical condition from hypothermia as temperatures plummeted, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
The trekkers became stranded as unusually heavy precipitation pummelled the Himalayas, Chinese state media reported on Sunday.
As of Sunday, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the remaining 200-plus trekkers had been made.
(Pictures: AP)
The CCTV report did not say if local guides and support staff of the trekking parties had been accounted for.
It was also unclear if trekkers near the north face of Everest, also in Tibet, had been affected or not.
The north face of Everest, due to its easy access by paved road, regularly draws large numbers of tourists. October is a peak season, when skies usually clear at the end of the Indian monsoon.
Ticket sales and entry to the entire Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday.
To the south of Tibet in Nepal, heavy rains triggered landslides and flash floods that have blocked roads, washed away bridges and killed at least 47 people since Friday.
Thirty-five people died in separate landslides in the eastern Ilam district bordering India. Nine people were reported missing after being swept away by floodwaters and three others were killed in lightning strikes elsewhere in the country.