Rescue efforts underway to save over 200 hikers trapped after Everest snowstorm

Rescue operations are underway to evacuate more than 200 hikers stranded on Mount Everest's eastern slopes after a sudden snowstorm struck during China's Golden Week holiday, leaving one person dead and hundreds trapped in freezing conditions.

According to a report by The Independent, around 350 trekkers have already been led to safety in Qudang, a small town roughly 48 kilometres from the Everest base camp on Tibet's side, Chinese authorities said.

The snowstorm, which hit on Friday and Saturday, blanketed the area with heavy snow, trapping hundreds of hikers at altitudes above 4,900 metres. Mount Everest stands at approximately 8,850 metres.

Evacuation efforts began on Monday and are expected to be completed by Tuesday, a source familiar with the rescue told Reuters. Rescuers - including local villagers and Chinese officials - are battling deep snow, sub-zero temperatures, and poor visibility to reach those still stranded.

A villager's video showed a long line of people accompanied by horses and oxen trudging along a winding snow-covered trail.

A young trekker, nicknamed FeiFei, said she and her friends were camping in the Karma Valley when the storm buried their tents. 

"We had to constantly clear the snow from the tents, but I collapsed from exhaustion and my tent got buried," she told AFP after her rescue on Monday.

After two days of trekking back to safety, she said, "Firefighters cleared the path using yaks and horses to clear the snow." Along the way, she saw dozens of weakened hikers but "none in critical condition."

Meanwhile, a 46-year-old South Korean climber died while attempting to scale Merak Peak on Everest's eastern flank in Nepal, about 31 kilometres south of the world's highest mountain. His body was retrieved by helicopter, while his Sherpa guide was rescued from 5,800 metres, confirmed Tulshee Gurung, president of the Nepal National Mountain Guides Association.

"The climber likely died after being exposed to extreme cold for an extended period," Gurung told The Chosun Daily.

Other trekkers described battling hypothermia and near-constant snow clearing to keep their tents from collapsing. 

"Three people in my group got hypothermia even with sufficient attire," hiker Eric Wen told Reuters, adding they had to clear snow "every 10 minutes at night."

Chen Geshuang, a 29-year-old trekker evacuated with an 18-member team, said, "It happened all too suddenly. All of us are experienced hikers, but this blizzard was still extremely difficult to deal with. I was so lucky to get out."

"Many people come here to hike during the Golden Week, but this year's snow was exceptional," she added, noting that even their guide said such weather on Everest's eastern slopes was highly unusual.

Elsewhere, in the Qilian Mountains on the border between Qinghai and Gansu provinces, one trekker was killed and 137 others were rescued after being stranded by the same snowstorm, according to Beijing News.

Hundreds had flocked to the Karma Valley - which leads to Everest's lesser-known Kangshung face - during the eight-day National Day holiday. The pristine valley, famed for its lush alpine forests and meltwater-fed glaciers, contrasts sharply with Everest's arid northern face.

Mount Everest, or Mount Qomolangma in Chinese, straddles the border between China and Nepal, where recent heavy rains have already claimed more than 40 lives. Climbers typically attempt to summit the peak from base camps on both sides, though the hikers caught in this storm were at the tourist camp, not the climbing base.