Locals and rescue teams are working on Mount Everest as up to 1,000 trekkers on the eastern face of the mountain remain trapped by the blizzard, according to Chinese state media.

China Central Television (CCTV) reported that rescue teams had already saved 350 people, bringing them to the small town of Qudang, where they received medical treatment. Contact was established with 200 more people remaining on the mountain. CCTV didn’t mention that any locals or rescue team members were missing.

Chen Geshuang, who was part of a tourist group recently rescued from the mountain, said it was very wet and cold, and the risk of hypothermia was real.

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

The snowfall in Tibet’s Karma Valley, that lies at an average elevation of 4,200 metres, began on Friday and only got stronger on Saturday. In Nepal, south of Everest, heavy rains have caused landslides and floods, killing at least 47 people since Friday. In separate landslides in Ilam, another region of Nepal, bordering India, 35 more people died. Meanwhile, in South China, to the East of Himalayas, Typhoon Matmo forced 150,000 to evacuate from their houses.

However, there were no reports from the north face of Mount Everest, which is also in China, and usually attracts many tourists in October due to easy access by paved road.

October is a peak season for mountain climbers in the Himalayas, which also falls on a week-long national holiday in China.

Tourist companies have suspended ticket sales as well as entry to the mountain, according to the Tengri County Tourism Company account on WeChat.

Photo: Mount Everest by Vyacheslav Argenberg found HERE and used under Creative Commons licence. This image has not been modified.