"The weather wasn't great. A bit drizzly and cold. But about 1,000 people steeled themselves on Mount Everest's eastern flank to spend the national day long weekend trekking. As he led the group along the path lined with stunning icy peaks, 32-year-old guide Shu Wei felt increasingly uneasy. He knew the weather on the mountains could be unpredictable and dangerous, but this snowfall was something else. It had already reached up to our knees around 8pm, he says."
"After dinner, the group had hunkered down in their tents, recalls 35-year-old trekker Wu Bin but even as they tried to clear it, the snow kept on building up. It gradually piled up higher and higher, almost reaching the windows of my tent, he says. At that point, I began to feel that the situation was getting serious. Yaks were brought in to help with the evacuation. Photograph: Shu Wei"
Over 1,000 trekkers on Mount Everest's eastern flank were caught in an unexpected, powerful storm that brought heavy rain and continuous snowfall. Snow accumulated to knee depth by 8pm and kept building overnight, trapping groups in tents and causing snow to reach tent windows. Guides consolidated people into a dining tent, lit fires for warmth, and prepared for the possibility of being stranded for days. Yaks assisted evacuation efforts. When weather allowed, trekkers began a slow, daylong descent through deep, high-altitude snow, joined by other groups as coordinated rescue operations responded across Tibet and Nepal.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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