A total of 580 hikers who were trapped by severe weather near Mount Everest have been guided to safety in Tibet, according to Chinese state media.
The trekkers arrived in the small township of Qudang and surrounding areas, along with 300 local guides, yak handlers, and other support staff, CCTV reported on Tuesday.
A final group of around 10 hikers, accompanied by rescue workers, is yet to reach Qudang but has made it to a rendezvous point, which has heating equipment, oxygen, and other emergency supplies.
The tourists became stranded at an altitude of more than 4,900m (16,000ft) after heavy snowfall blocked their route up Everest's eastern slopes over the weekend.
The blizzard struck during China's eight-day Golden Week holiday, a peak season for local tourism. October usually provides clear skies and friendly temperatures, making it one of the favored months to hike in the Mount Everest area.
Hundreds of hikers made their way to the Karma Valley hiking trail, a lesser-known but scenic route to the base of Everest - which also offers a view of the world's highest peak.
The heavy snowfall began on Friday evening, intensifying over the weekend, catching mountain guides off guard.
One trekker, who had visited the Himalayas more than a dozen times, told the BBC he had never experienced weather like this. Dong Shuchang, 27, said that several people in his group of 20 showed signs of hypothermia.
Chen Geshuang, who was part of Mr. Dong's hiking group, described how the snow was about a meter deep when the group started their retreat on Sunday. All of us are experienced hikers, she said. But this blizzard was still extremely difficult to deal with. I was so lucky to get out.
Police, firefighters, and hundreds of local Tibetan volunteers were mobilized for the rescue effort. Another woman recounted that her husband, who had been stuck in the storm, barely slept in his tent due to fears of being buried in snow.
Eric Wen told Reuters that three people in his group suffered from hypothermia even though they were adequately dressed. They hardly slept because it snowed too hard, with their group needing to clear snow every 10 minutes to prevent their tents from collapsing.
Notably, in a separate mountainous region in western China, Qinghai province, one hiker died from hypothermia and altitude sickness, with 137 others evacuated, according to CCTV. Meanwhile, neighboring Nepal has also faced torrential rains, leading to severe flooding and landslides that have resulted in over 50 fatalities.
