One hiker has died and dozens rescued after heavy snowfall in China that left people trapped on Mount Everest, state media reported on Monday.
The hiker died from hypothermia and altitude sickness in the Tiger Valley, Chinese state-run CCTV reported. It added that more than 130 people were rescued from the area in an operation involving hundreds of rescuers and two drones.
More than 200 hikers were trapped near the eastern face of Everest and were making their way to safety gradually. Monday's CCTV report did not provide any further updates on the situation.
One hiker, who gave her name as FeiFei, was rescued on Monday after trekking at the foot of Everest in Tibet. Heavy snowfall from Saturday night into Sunday buried the camp used by the hikers.
"We had to constantly clear the snow from the tents, but I collapsed from exhaustion ... and my tent got buried," she told AFP. She eventually took refuge in another tent.
After two days of walking, during which firefighters cleared the path using yaks and horses, the group returned to a rescue centre set up at the head of the trail, she said.
Footage published by media in Tibet showed trekkers being offered hot soup in a communal hall, before boarding buses that took them away from the area. Hundreds of people visited remote valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Everest, taking advantage of an eight-day National Day holiday in China.
Meanwhile, the body of a South Korean trekker was recovered in Nepal on Monday, said Tulsi Gurung, president of Nepal National Mountain Guides Association. The hiker climbed the 6,476-metre Mera Peak on Saturday. His guide was rescued.
More than 70 people have been killed across Nepal and India after heavy rain caused landslides and flooding. Rescue workers have struggled to reach communities in remote mountainous terrain.
