Rescue efforts are underway after around 1,000 people became trapped by a severe snowstorm in the remote Tibetan slopes of Mount Everest, Chinese state media has reported.
The region has been hit by unusually heavy precipitation, including rain, which has caused dangerous conditions across the Himalyas.
Snowfall in the valley, which lies at an elevation averaging 4,200 metres (13,779 feet), began on Friday evening and persisted throughout Saturday.
Tibet's Blue Sky Rescue team received a call for help saying that tents had collapsed due to heavy snow, and that some hikers were already suffering from hypothermia, Chinese state media reported.
Several trekkers stranded by a blizzard near the eastern face of Mount Everest have already been guided to safety by rescuers, it has been reported.
As of Sunday, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the remaining 200-plus trekkers had been made, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
The remaining trekkers will arrive in Qudang in stages under the guidance and assistance of rescuers organised by the local government, CCTV reported.
Hundreds of local villagers and rescue teams had been deployed to help remove snow blocking access to the area, according to an earlier report by state-backed Jimu News.
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 clear with the end of the Indian monsoon.
Ticket sales and entry to the entire Everest Scenic Area were suspended from late Saturday, according to notices on the official WeChat accounts of the local Tingri County Tourism Company.
